Israel kills Hamas official in hospital, as Gaza demise toll climbs

An Israeli air strike on a hospital in Gaza killed a senior Hamas chief and an aide on Sunday night, a Hamas official informed the BBC.

Ismail Barhoum, the group’s finance chief, was hit in Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis.

Barhoum is among the most senior Hamas figures killed since Israel resumed navy motion towards the group final Tuesday, ending a two-month ceasefire.

Hamas mentioned Barhoum was being handled in Nasser Hospital for wounds suffered in an air strike 4 days in the past.

However Israel Protection Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani mentioned that was “fully false”. He mentioned Barhoum was within the hospital “as a way to commit acts of terrorism” and had been there for weeks.

The Hamas-run well being ministry mentioned on Monday morning that 730 folks had been killed by Israel since then. It mentioned at the least 61 had been killed over the previous day.

In the meantime, a 75-year-old Israeli man was killed and a 20-year-old soldier was injured in what Israeli police mentioned was a terror assault close to Haifa on Monday.

They mentioned the assailant rammed his automobile right into a bus cease, then stabbed and opened hearth at folks earlier than being shot useless by officers.

The IDF mentioned it carried out the assault on Barhoum after “an in depth intelligence-gathering course of”, including that “exact munitions” had been used to mitigate hurt.

The well being ministry mentioned “many others”, together with medical personnel, have been injured within the air strike.

It mentioned the division that was hit was evacuated after a big portion was destroyed.

Footage verified by the BBC confirmed folks trying to extinguish a fireplace after the strike.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of utilizing hospitals as hiding locations for weapons and command centres, which the group denies.

One other Hamas chief, Salah al-Bardaweel, was killed by a separate Israeli air strike in Khan Younis earlier on Sunday, an official informed the BBC.

Israel resumed its navy marketing campaign, blaming Hamas for rejecting a brand new US proposal to increase the truce. Hamas, in flip, accused Israel of abandoning the unique deal agreed in January.

The warfare was triggered by Hamas’s assault on Israel on 7 October 2023, through which about 1,200 folks, primarily civilians, have been killed and 251 others taken hostage.

Israel responded to the 7 October assault with a navy offensive in Gaza to destroy Hamas, which has killed greater than 50,000 folks, the Hamas-run well being ministry mentioned.

Extra reporting by Maia Davies

Replace 24 March: The headline of this story was up to date after Israel denied Ismail Barhoum was being handled within the hospital on the time of the strike.