Our forces continue to operate on the ground in the northern Gaza Strip, and Saturday night began operations in the Beit Hanoun area, in parallel with ongoing airstrikes. Early Sunday morning, Salah al-Bardawil, a senior member of the political wing of the Hamas terrorist organization, was eliminated. It was also reported that at least 32 terrorists were eliminated, and dozens more were wounded.
Beit Hanoun is located on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip, with a population of 52,237 as of 2017. Due to the ongoing Gaza war, Beit Hanoun has become a heavily contested area between Hamas and Israel. The town has been completely depopulated, and nearly all of its buildings have been destroyed or rendered unusable due to extensive damage. Beit Hanoun is located near the Nahal-Hanun stream, about 3.7 miles from the Israeli town of Sderot.
Our forces began operations in the Beit Hanoun area of the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, to damage the infrastructure of the Hamas terrorist organization and expand the security area in northern Gaza.
حالة نزوح مبكية من مدينة بيت حانون تحت الشمس الحامية وفي شهر رمضان الكريم وهم صيام! pic.twitter.com/pOHUZJE3ft
— أَحْمَد وَائِل حَمْدَان (@AHM3D_HAMDAN) March 19, 2025
During the operation, our aircraft targeted several locations associated with Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure in the area. The IDF stated that it is allowing “civilians to evacuate the combat area for their safety.”
Hamas announced early Sunday morning that another senior official had been killed during the wave of attacks overnight in the Gaza Strip. It was reported that Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the political bureau, was killed in an attack by our forces in western Khan Younes, in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera, al-Bardawil was a member of Hamas’s political bureau and the Palestinian Legislative Council. A Hamas statement confirmed that he was killed alongside his wife in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younes. Additionally, medical sources reported that 32 Gazans had been killed in attacks by our forces in the Gaza Strip since Saturday.
