Latest news with #Salahal-Bardawil
Boston Globe
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Israel expands Gaza offensive and issues new evacuation orders
On Sunday, Israel said that its operations had moved into additional areas in the north and south of the enclave. Advertisement Israel said that its troops had begun operating in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, to expand a buffer zone. The military also said that it had carried out more airstrikes against Hamas targets and infrastructure and that it was allowing people to evacuate. The military also separately issued an evacuation order for the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of the southern city of Rafah, telling residents to leave on foot along a specific route and barring the movement of vehicles. The Rafah municipality said in a statement that thousands of families were being forced to flee on foot under bombardment during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. That left them homeless amid a severe shortage of basic necessities and tents because of the Israeli government's closure of the crossings into Gaza, the municipality noted. 'I am hearing lots of gunfire and bombing,' Riham Abu Marzouq, 22, said in a phone call Sunday afternoon while fleeing her home in Rafah with nine relatives. 'We are now walking,' she added, panting and struggling to catch her breath. Hamas announced that Israel had killed a senior member of its political bureau, Salah al-Bardawil, overnight. The group said that al-Bardawil, one of the militant group's prominent spokespeople, had been killed along with his wife in a strike on their tent in Muwasi, an area in southern Gaza that the Israeli military had designated as a humanitarian zone and to which it directed residents of Tal al-Sultan on Sunday. Advertisement After noon Sunday, the military said that its troops had completely encircled Tal al-Sultan, had eliminated several fighters and had raided a site that it said had been used over the past few months as a Hamas command and control center. Neither claim could be independently verified. The Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza warned Sunday of 'imminent danger threatening the lives' of more than 50,000 people in Rafah. 'The situation in Rafah is very difficult,' said Huthayfah Lafi, a resident of the southern city who lives near Tal al-Sultan. He said he had decided not to evacuate the area Sunday 'until the situation becomes more clear' because 'we have nowhere else to go.' And the Palestinian Red Crescent said that it had lost contact with four of its ambulances that it said were trapped in Rafah and had crew members wounded by Israeli gunfire. The Israeli military said that it was looking into the reports but did not immediately provide any further comment. Mohammed Abu Taha, 42, said his sister Sanaa and her family had been able to return to their home in Rafah only in the past few weeks. Around dawn Sunday 'they were surprised by Israeli tanks advancing toward them,' he said, relaying what his sister had told him over the phone while fleeing on foot to the city of Khan Younis, where he has been sheltering. 'They were only allowed to carry a small bag,' said Abu Taha. Late Sunday, the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck 'a key terrorist' in Hamas who it said was operating inside the Nasser Hospital compound in southern Gaza, without naming the target of the strike. The military said it used 'precise munitions in order to mitigate harm' to the surrounding area. Advertisement Health authorities in Gaza said in a statement that Israeli forces had targeted the surgical department in the medical complex, which housed many patients, and that a large fire broke out as a result. In separate statements, the Gaza Health Ministry condemned the direct targeting of the hospital, which it said resulted in the death of two patients there, among them a 16-year-old discovered amid the rubble, and the injury of several others, including medical personnel. The strike had caused panic, destroyed a large part of the surgical department and forced the evacuation of that portion of the hospital, health authorities said. Hamas said in a statement that Ismail Barhoum, a member of the group's political bureau, was killed while he was receiving treatment at the medical complex. It condemned 'in the strongest terms the bombing of the hospital.' The Israeli government has said that the renewed offensive -- along with blocking the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza -- is aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas to release hostages still held in the enclave and at destroying the group's military and governing capabilities. The hostages were taken to Gaza during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war. Hamas has so far refused to release significant numbers of hostages unless Israel promises to end the war permanently. Israel has conditioned ending the war on Hamas' agreeing to give up its arms and power in Gaza. The resumption of the military campaign in Gaza has not found the same national consensus among Israelis as the war did in the immediate aftermath of the October 2023 assault. Instead, it has increased concerns about the fates of the hostages, up to 24 of whom are believed to still be alive, and it has left many Israelis questioning what could be achieved militarily that was not achieved in the first 15 months of fighting. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Saba Yemen
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardawil, his wife killed in Israeli shelling of Khan Yunis
Gaza - Saba: Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and his wife were killed early Sunday morning in an Israeli shelling that targeted the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian media reported that al-Bardawil and his wife were killed in a shelling that targeted their tent west of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. Ambulance crews at the Kuwait Specialized Field Hospital transported a number of wounded as a result of the Israeli enemy's targeting of the tents of displaced persons near the al-Kanais area of Khan Yunis. For its part, the Palestinian Legislative Council mourned the member, affirming its commitment to continuing in his footsteps and highlighting the martyr's significant and well-known role in parliamentary, political, academic, and educational work. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Khaleej Times
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Hamas confirms death of political leader in Israeli strike in Southern Gaza
Palestinian group Hamas confirmed on Sunday that Salah al-Bardawil, a senior member of its political bureau, was killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza the previous day. Bardawil, 65, was killed along with his wife in a camp in al-Mawasi, near Khan Yunis, according to Hamas. He is the third member of the political bureau to be killed since Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday, after Yasser Harb and Essam al-Dalis, the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military confirmed Sunday that it had targeted Bardawil, saying that "as part of his role, (he) directed the strategic and military planning" of Hamas in Gaza. His "elimination further degrades Hamas' military and government capabilities", it added. Bardawil, born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, joined Hamas when it was founded in 1987, serving as a spokesman before rising through the ranks and being elected to the political bureau in 2021. He spoke against security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and supported armed struggle against Israel. Detained by Israel in 1993 and interrogated for 70 days, according to Hamas, Bardawil was also arrested several times by the security forces of the Palestinian Authority. In the flare-up since last week, Hamas has also announced the deaths of interior ministry head Mahmud Abu Watfa, and Bahjat Abu Sultan, the director general of the Internal Security Services. Hamas sources said on Sunday that Mohammed Hassan al-Amur, the bodyguard of slain leader Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an overnight strike on his home in Khan Yunis. Hamas has been considerably weakened by the deaths of many of its leaders, both inside and outside the Gaza Strip, since the start of the war triggered by its deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The head of Hamas's political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran on July 31, 2024, in an explosion claimed by Israel. His successor Sinwar died on October 16 in Gaza.
Egypt Independent
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Israel intensifies southern Gaza offensive as Hamas says senior figure killed in strike
CNN — Israeli operations intensified in southern Gaza with the military ordering evacuations and Hamas reporting the death of a senior figure in an airstrike. The militant group said Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the group's political bureau, was killed along with his wife in an Israeli strike on their tent in southern Gaza's Khan Younis. The Israeli military resumed air and ground operations in Gaza earlier this week, blaming Hamas for refusing to agree revised terms on extending the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel blocked aid going into Gaza ahead of its renewed operations, in an attempt to force Hamas to accept the new terms and release the hostages it is still holding. Early on Sunday the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a warning to people to leave the Tel Sultan area of Rafah in southern Gaza immediately as its troops launched an offensive in the area. The IDF said it had 'launched an attack to strike at terrorist organizations… The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone,' the post said, instructing civilians to move north to the Mawasi area immediately. In a later statement, the Israeli military said 'Over the past hours, IDF troops operated and concluded the encirclement of Tel al-Sultan in Rafah.' The military said it had been dismantling 'terrorist infrastructure sites … in order to reinforce control and expand the security zone in southern Gaza.' Gaza's Civil Defense warned Sunday of a 'grave and imminent danger threatening the lives of more than 50,000 civilians' in the Al-Baraksat area, west of Rafah province, after they were 'besieged by Israeli occupation forces.' The IDF said movement in vehicles was not permitted, forcing those evacuating to do so by foot. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said four of its ambulances had been surrounded after responding to an Israeli attack in Rafah. Contact had been lost with a civil defense crew west of Rafah that was trying to rescue an ambulance crew. Also in the south, Hamas-affiliated media reported that three people had been killed when a municipal vehicle in Khan Younis was struck. A woman mourns near the bodies of relatives killed in an Israeli strike, in the yard of the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday. Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images The IDF is continuing its ground operations in northern Gaza. It said on Saturday that troops had begun operating in the Beit Hanoun area 'to target Hamas' terror infrastructure sites in order to expand the security zone in northern Gaza.' It added that fighter jets struck several Hamas targets. On Sunday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said that 41 more deaths in the past 24 hours as the death toll in Gaza surpassed 50,000, marking a grim milestone for a war with no end in sight. The ministry said that 50,021 people have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 attacks in its latest update.
CNN
23-03-2025
- Health
- CNN
Israeli military encircles southern Gaza neighborhood as it escalates renewed offensive
Israeli operations intensified in southern Gaza with the military encircling an entire district and ordering evacuations as the country pressed a renewed offensive in the territory. The latest campaign comes after the Israeli military resumed air and ground operations in Gaza earlier this week, blaming Hamas for refusing to agree revised terms on extending the first phase of the ceasefire. Gaza health officials meanwhile said the toll from the fighting since October 7 has passed 50,000. The Israeli military said Sunday that troops had concluded the encirclement of Tel al-Sultan, a district to the west of Rafah that has seen multiple Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations in the past year, a testament to the difficulties of dislodging Hamas. The purpose of the operation was to 'reinforce control and expand the security zone in southern Gaza,' the IDF said in a statement Sunday. 'During the night, the troops encircled the area, eliminated several terrorists, and conducted a targeted raid on a terror infrastructure site that was used over the past few months as a command and control center of Hamas terrorists,' the IDF said. The military earlier issued a warning to people to leave the Tel al-Sultan area immediately as troops launched their offensive. The IDF instructed civilians to move north to the Mawasi area, but would not permit movement in vehicles, forcing those evacuating to do so by foot. The Israeli military forcibly displaced thousands of already displaced people from their tents in the Tel al-Sultan district under heavy gunfire, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank said in a post on social media. Gaza's Civil Defense warned of a 'grave and imminent danger threatening the lives of more than 50,000 civilians' in the Al-Baraksat area, west of Rafah, after they were 'besieged by Israeli occupation forces.' The Palestine Red Crescent Society said four of its ambulances had been surrounded after responding to an Israeli attack in Rafah. Contact had been lost with a civil defense crew west of Rafah that was trying to rescue an ambulance crew. Also in the south, Hamas-affiliated media reported that three people had been killed when a municipal vehicle in Khan Younis was struck. Hamas said Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the group's political bureau, was killed along with his wife in an Israeli strike on tents for the displaced in the area. Israel blocked aid going into Gaza ahead of its renewed operations, in an attempt to force Hamas to accept the new terms and release the hostages it is still holding. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said no food, water, medicines or fuel have entered Gaza in three weeks, marking a longer siege than what was in place in the first phase of the war. 'Every day without food inches Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis,' UNRWA said in a social media post on Sunday. The IDF is also continuing its ground operations in northern Gaza. It said on Saturday that troops had begun operating in the Beit Hanoun area 'to target Hamas' terror infrastructure sites in order to expand the security zone in northern Gaza.' It added that fighter jets struck several Hamas targets. On Sunday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said that 41 more deaths in the past 24 hours as the death toll in Gaza surpassed 50,000, marking a grim milestone for a war with no end in sight. The ministry said that 50,021 people have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 attacks in its latest update.
