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Senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil was killed overnight between Saturday and Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on his tent in the humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis. The strike left a massive crater at the site. According to Qatar-based Al Jazeera, 23 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Khan Younis and nearby Rafah since midnight.
IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued an urgent evacuation warning to residents of the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah. “The IDF has begun operations targeting terrorist organizations. The area you are in is an active combat zone and extremely dangerous. Evacuate immediately,” he said in a statement.
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Location of the assassination of senior Hamas figure Salah al-Bardawil in the Gaza Strip
Al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, was one of the few senior leaders who chose to remain in the Gaza Strip throughout the months of fighting, along with his family. Born in Khan Younis, he was a well-known figure due to his frequent appearances in Arabic and international media, where he promoted Hamas' positions.
He also played a key role in the Palestinian Legislative Council, elected in 2006 on Hamas' “Change and Reform” list. Al-Bardawil was involved in several rounds of internal Palestinian negotiations, including talks between Hamas and rival faction Fatah.
According to Hamas, al-Bardawil was killed alongside his wife and daughter during the overnight airstrikes on Khan Younis. In a statement, Hamas praised him as “an active figure who never abandoned jihad,” vowing revenge for his death. “The martyrs will fuel the battle. The more we lose, the fiercer the resistance will burn,” the group said.
Al-Bardawil had been a vocal opponent of security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, describing it as a betrayal. During his political career, he participated in talks between the Palestinian factions, even as Hamas violently seized control of Gaza from Fatah, the movement led by Mahmoud Abbas.
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IDF Spokesperson in Arabic issues urgent evacuation warning to Gaza Strip residents in the Tel a-Sultan area in Rafah
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
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Meanwhile, the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news outlet Quds Network reported that Muhammad Hassan al-Amour, an aide to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was also killed in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Sources from Palestinian factions told the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that Israel has recently succeeded in eliminating Hamas field commanders involved in the group's military manufacturing operations, including rocket and explosive production. According to the sources, some of the commanders killed were responsible for operating anti-tank missile squads and were directly involved in planning and executing the October 7 attacks.
Among those killed was Osama Tabesh, a senior Hamas commander targeted in Khan Younis. Tabesh was previously implicated in exposing an elite Israeli special forces unit operating in Gaza in 2018, during an incident that resulted in the death of Lt. Col. Mahmoud Kheir al-Din.