Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 30 Palestinians

An Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel yesterday, officials of the group said, as residents reported an escalation in Israel’s six-day-old military campaign.

At least 30 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah and Khan Younis so far, health authorities said. Those killed included three municipal employees, medics said.

At least 50,021 Palestinians have been killed and 113,274 wounded since the beginning of the war, the health ministry said in a statement yesterday.

Pro-Hamas media said the airstrike on Khan Younis killed Bardaweel, a member of the Palestinian group’s political office, and his wife. Israeli officials had no immediate comment.

Taher Al-Nono, the media adviser of the Hamas leadership, mourned Bardaweel’s death in a post on his Facebook page.

After two months of relative calm in the offensive that began more than 17 months ago, Gaza civilians were again fleeing for their lives after Israel effectively abandoned a ceasefire, launching a new all-out air and ground campaign on Tuesday against Hamas.

Explosions echoed throughout the north, central and southern Gaza Strip early yesterday, as Israeli planes hit several targets in those areas in what witnesses said was an escalation of the attack that began on Tuesday.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning on X for residents in the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah in the south of the strip, saying the military was launching an onslaught there to eradicate “terrorist organizations”.

In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of assassinating Bardaweel, who it said was praying along with his wife when an Israeli missile struck their tent shelter in Khan Younis.

“His blood, that of his wife and martyrs, will remain fuelling the battle of liberation and independence. The criminal enemy will not break our determination and will,” said the group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said the main aim of the war is to destroy Hamas as a military and governing entity. He has said the aim of the new campaign is to force the group to give up remaining hostages.

Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to separate 13 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from their neighbouring communities, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said yesterday.

The settlements will ultimately be recognised as independent, he posted on X about the move, which follows the approval of tens of thousands of housing units across the West Bank.

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