Salah al-Bardawil, a top Hamas leader, was killed on Sunday in an airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces in Khan Younis, the war-torn city in southern Gaza, the militant group confirmed on Sunday.
Al-Bardawil's wife was also killed in the strike. This comes after Hamas military intelligence chief Osama Tabash was killed earlier this week. Tabash was previously the battalion commander of the Khan Younis brigade. Israel claims that he was the brain behind a 2005 suicide bombing at Gush Katif that killed Oded Sharon.
Who was Salah al-Bardawil?
Salah al-Bardawil, 65, was born in Khan Younis in 1959. He was a member of the Hamas political bureau and a spokesperson for the Palestinian Islamist Organisation. He is reportedly the ninth member of Hamas political bureau to be killed by Israel since October 7, 2023. He was a popular face of Hamas in the media, giving interviews on behalf of the militant group for several years.
From February 18, 2016 to December 22, 2018, he was a representative of the Hamas in the Palestinian Legislative Council. The Parliament was dissolved in 2018.
Israel has intensified their airstrikes on Gaza after a gap of two months of ceasefire. Essam Adlis, the head of Hamas government, and Mahmoud Abu Wafa, the head of internal security, were among prominent leader who were killed recently.
This comes as negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire failed. At least 59 hostages are believed to be in Hamas captivity and 35 of them are considered dead. With Hamas refusing to accept further demands from the US and Israel, Tel Aviv has blocked humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Besides al-Bardawil and his wife, at least 19 other people, including women and children, have been killed so far in Gaza on Sunday.