Netanyahu’s army in action mood! Major airstrike in Gaza, Hamas leader Al-Bardaweel and his wife killed
Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. The attack took place in Khan Younis, where Bardaweel was killed along with his wife. According to Hamas-backed media, Bardaweel was a member of Hamas’ political office.
Israel resumed its war on Gaza on Tuesday (March 18), carrying out airstrikes on several targets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the main objective of this campaign as destroying Hamas as a military and ruling entity. The conflict has killed hundreds of people, including a large number of women and children.
Prominent Hamas leaders killed
Several prominent Hamas leaders have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Hamas’ de facto government chief Esam Adlis and internal security chief Mahmoud Abu Watfa were killed in Israeli attacks on Tuesday. The Israeli army also killed Hamas military intelligence chief Osama Tabash in southern Gaza. Israel described Tabash as the head of Hamas’ surveillance and targeting unit. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 400 people were killed on Tuesday, more than half of whom were women and children.
Disagreement between Hamas and Israel on ceasefire
There remains disagreement between Israel and Hamas over the continuation of the three-phase ceasefire that began in January 2023. Arab mediators backed by the United States have failed to resolve differences during ongoing discussions between the two sides. In the first phase, Hamas released about three dozen hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, but the second phase is still in limbo. The aim of this phase was to ensure the release of the remaining 60 hostages, but the two sides have not been able to agree on this. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to resume military action. After this, food and aid supplies were stopped in Gaza.
Increasing attacks and civilian casualties in Gaza
Violence has continued in Gaza since Hamas’ cross-border attack on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage in this attack by Hamas. In response, Israel launched a military offensive, which has so far killed more than 48,000 Palestinians and displaced about 90 percent of Gaza’s population. Gaza’s Health Ministry said that more than half of the casualties are women and children. However, Gaza’s Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants, leaving the actual casualty figure unclear.
