Israeli army kills Hamas politburo member in Gaza hospital attack
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Israel kills member of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Barhoum, in the attack on Gaza's Nasser Hospital.
Gaza: The Israeli army has killed Ismail Barhoum, a senior member of Hamas’ politburo, along with at least four other Palestinians in an airstrike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses.
Local sources reported that an Israeli drone targeted the second floor of the emergency building within the complex, where the surgery department is located, with at least one missile, causing a large fire. Medics confirmed that five bodies, including Barhoum's, were recovered from the site, while several others sustained injuries, some in critical condition.
Gaza-based health authorities stated that the attack struck a building inside the medical complex that housed many patients and the wounded, leading to a massive fire. Hamas later confirmed Barhoum’s death, stating that he was undergoing treatment in the hospital at the time of the strike.
The Israeli military acknowledged launching the attack on the Nasser Hospital compound, claiming they were targeting a Hamas official. In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet described the official as a "key" Hamas militant operating within the hospital premises but did not disclose his identity. They emphasized that the strike was based on extensive intelligence gathering and carried out with precision munitions to minimize collateral damage.
The attack is part of intensified Israeli operations in southern Gaza, with the military announcing earlier on Sunday that it had encircled an entire district and issued evacuation orders. The escalation follows a breakdown in ceasefire negotiations, which Israel blamed on Hamas for refusing revised terms. Gaza health officials report that the death toll from the conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, has now exceeded 50,000.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz hailed Barhoum’s killing, identifying him as the newly appointed Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, replacing Issam Da’alis, who was killed in an Israeli strike days earlier. Barhoum is at least the fourth Hamas politburo member to be assassinated since last Tuesday, when Israel resumed airstrikes following a deadlock over ceasefire negotiations. Earlier on Sunday, another senior Hamas official, Salah al-Bardawil, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike near Khan Younis.
Barhoum was a political figure within Hamas and had been involved in financial activities for the group, leading to European Union sanctions against him last year. He was also reportedly linked to Hamas’s financial network. Of the 20 Hamas politburo members elected in 2021, 11 have been assassinated since the war began, while seven are believed to be outside Gaza.
In a separate announcement on Sunday, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed the killing of two senior Hamas military commanders in recent airstrikes in Gaza.
The Nasser Medical Complex, Gaza’s second-largest hospital, has been subjected to multiple Israeli attacks since the war broke out.
With IANS inputs