GAZA CITY: Palestinian group Hamas on Tuesday claimed that the head of its government in the Gaza Strip, Essam al-Dalis, was among those killed in an Israeli airstrike on the enclave.
“These leaders, along with their families, were martyred after being directly targeted by the Zionist occupation forces’ aircraft,” said the Hamas statement, which also named interior ministry head Mahmud Abu Watfa and Bahjat Abu Sultan, director-general of the internal security service, among those killed.
Essam al-Dalis, a former member of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, was elected to the movement’s Gaza leadership in March 2021 and took on the role of head of its administration in June of the same year.
In November 2023, Israel claimed to have targeted a Hamas facility where Dalis was present, along with other leaders who were killed in the attack.
Israel vowed to continue fighting in Gaza until the return of all hostages as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a January ceasefire.
Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 413 people on Tuesday, effectively ending a fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, the casualty toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
“So far, 413 martyrs have arrived in hospitals in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement. “A number of victims are still under the rubble, and work is underway to recover them.”
The strikes, the most intense since the truce began on 19 January, targeted areas across northern, central, and southern Gaza, including Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
A White House spokesperson confirmed that Israel had consulted with the US administration before launching the operation.
“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee urged residents in specific areas, including Beit Hanoun and Khan Younis, to evacuate, warning of “dangerous combat zones.”
