Israeli airstrikes across the southern Gaza Strip have killed at least 19 Palestinians overnight between March 22 and 23.
Among those killed are a senior political leader of Hamas - the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - and several women and children.
The Israeli military has ordered people to evacuate parts of the city of Rafah, which borders Egypt. The military said it would soon take action against militants in the Tel al-Sultan area - which has suffered heavy damage from previous shelling - in Rafah. However, it is not yet clear whether the evacuation order signals a new Israeli ground operation.
Israel launched a major offensive in Rafah in May last year, when it took control of a strategic corridor along the border with Egypt and an important crossing point.
Meanwhile, Hamas said Salah Bardawil, a member of its political bureau and the Palestinian Parliament, was killed during the attacks in Mawasi. His wife was also killed in the attacks.
Bardawil was a well-known member of the political wing of the radical Palestinian group, who has also given interviews to various media outlets in recent years.
Meanwhile, two hospitals in southern Gaza said they had received the bodies of 17 Palestinians killed in overnight attacks, including women and children.
Israel last week ended its ceasefire with Hamas and launched a wave of airstrikes that have killed hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza.
The ceasefire, reached in January, suspended the heavy fighting that was sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas had killed nearly 1,200 people and kidnapped nearly 250 others.
As a result of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, 49,747 Palestinians have been killed, and according to the Gaza Health Ministry, over half of the victims were women and children. Israel, meanwhile, without providing evidence, has claimed to have killed nearly 20,000 militants./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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