A senior Hamas leader, Salah al-Bardawil, along with his wife, was killed during a predawn strike in southern Gaza by Israel, intensifying its attacks across the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 634 Palestinian casualties since the ceasefire deal was broken on Tuesday. Hamas accused Israel of assassinating al-Bardawil and vowed that his and his wife’s blood, as well as that of the martyrs, would continue to fuel the battle for liberation and independence, not allowing the enemy to diminish their resolve.
No immediate comments were made by Israeli officials. Since Israel resumed its offensive last week, several senior Hamas leaders have been killed.
At least 23 people were killed in predawn raids on Sunday, with evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military for Tal as-Sultan in Rafah. Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum described the situation as critical, attributing the escalation to Israel’s unilaterally breaking the ceasefire and attacking heavily populated areas, hospitals, schools, and mosques, without any confrontation reported between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters.
Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza, which has been suffering from an aid blockade, and also relaunched a ground offensive last week. Israeli forces had violated the ceasefire multiple times since its enforcement on January 19. Israeli troops have killed nearly 50,000 people since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, following deadly attacks on Israel led by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the renewed military action aimed to force Hamas to release the remaining captives it holds.
Hamas accused Israel of using the captives as bargaining chips and blamed Netanyahu for breaking the ceasefire agreement due to his refusal to engage in negotiations to conclude the war and withdraw from Gaza. The group is considering a US proposal to restore the ceasefire until April, after Ramadan and Passover, to allow for peace talks to proceed.
Additionally, Israel launched strikes on Lebanon in response to a rocket attack from across the border on Saturday, potentially jeopardizing the November 2023 truce with the Hezbollah group. Seven people have been killed and 40 injured since the Israeli strikes began on Saturday.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/23/senior-hamas-leader-among-23-killed-in-israeli-strikes-in-southern-gaza?traffic_source=rss
