Salah al-Bardaweel, a senior Hamas leader, is killed in Gaza by an Israeli air strike

Senior Hamas commander Salah al-Bardaweel and his wife were killed in an Israeli airstrike near Khan Younis, according to a Hamas spokesperson.

Salah al-Bardaweel, a leading Hamas political figure, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, a Hamas spokesman claimed early on Sunday.

Locals claim that Bardaweel, a member of the group’s political office, and his wife were murdered in the airstrike.

Israeli authorities did not immediately respond.

Israel’s military broke a ceasefire agreement that started on January 19 and put an end to nearly two months of calm when it launched heavy assaults on Gaza on Tuesday, blaming Hamas.

After rejecting the Israeli charges, Hamas accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.

32 Palestinians have been murdered in the last 24 hours in different regions of the Gaza Strip, according to a representative of the health ministry operated by Hamas.

Following an enormous cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 people were killed and 251 were held captive, the Israeli forces began a mission to eradicate Hamas.

According to the health ministry administered by Hamas, more than 49,500 Palestinians have died in Gaza since then, and the Strip’s infrastructure and residences have been extensively damaged.