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A senior member of the Hamas political bureau acting in the capacity of prime minister, Ismail Barhum was killed on Sunday in a targeted strike, Palestinian media reported. Barhoum was responsible for the regional distribution of funds. According to the reports, he was killed when the IDF struck a Khan Younis hospital. He was the fourth senior member of the terror group to be killed in targeted strikes in the past 24 hours.
The military said the struck the key terrorist who was operating inside the Nasser Hospital compound. "The strike was conducted following an extensive intelligence-gathering process and with precise munitions, in order to mitigate harm to the surrounding environment as much as possible," the IDF said.
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IDF strike on Khan Younis hospital in targeted killing
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The moment of attack killing senior Hamas official in Gaza
At the same time, the IDF said it was preparing to advance a division of tanks to the border with Gaza as preparations to expand the offensive that began last week, were underway.
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Tanks prepare for expanded Gaza offe3nsive
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The IDF and Shin Bet said hours earlier that two senior Hamas commanders were killed in a targeted airstrike. In a statement, the military said the attacks were meant to degrade the terror group's military capabilities and remove threats to Israel and the forces.
The men were Hamas' Gaza Brigade deputy commander Ahmad Salman ‘Awj Shimali, responsible for operations, planning the offensive strategy, and building the brigade's force in preparation for Hamas's massacre on October 7. and the terror group’s Shijaiyah Battalion commander Jamil Omar Jamil Wadiya.
“Wadiya was responsible for deploying the battalion's forces against IDF troops and operated to restore and reorganize the battalion, the IDF said He was also involved in the anti-tank missile attack on a school bus in April 2011, in which a 16-year-old boy was murdered,” the IDF added.
Earlier still, the IDF said it had killed Salah al-Bardawil in an overnight strike on his tent in the humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis. Al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas’ politburo, was one of the few senior leaders who chose to remain in the Gaza Strip throughout the months of fighting.
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Over the weekend, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the IDF to seize additional territory in Gaza while evacuating the local population to the humanitarian areas and expanding security zones around Israeli border communities. "As long as Hamas continues to refuse to release the hostages, it will lose more and more land, which will be annexed to Israel," he declared.
The IDF Home Front Command eased restrictions in most Gaza border communities after the IDF’s limited operation in Gaza. Under the new guidelines, gatherings of up to 2,000 people are now permitted and educational activities can resume without limitations.
In the meantime, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that Hamas is responsible for the renewed fighting in Gaza after rejecting efforts to move forward with what had been an "acceptable deal."
"So this is on Hamas. The United States stands with the state of Israel," Witkoff told Fox News. "Hamas had every opportunity to demilitarize, to accept the bridging proposal."