Israeli airstrike kills senior Hamas official in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis has killed senior Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel, a Hamas official told the BBC early on Sunday.

Residents there say the airstrike killed both Bardaweel, a member of the group's political office, and his wife, the Telegraph reports.

The Israeli military resumed attacks on Gaza on Tuesday, blaming Hamas for refusing to extend the first phase of a ceasefire that came into effect on January 19 and lasted almost two months.

Hamas rejected the Israeli accusations and, in turn, accused Israel of violating the agreement that was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US.

An official in the Hamas-run Health Ministry said 32 Palestinians had been killed over the past 24 hours in various parts of the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Hamas said Bardaweel was praying with his wife when an Israeli rocket hit their tent.

Previously a Hamas spokesman, Bardaweel often appeared in local media.

He is one of about 10 Hamas officials reported to have been killed since Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on Tuesday.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in which about 1200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

More than 49,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run Health Ministry says, and there is large-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure in the Strip.