GAZA: Hamas on Tuesday named the head of its government in the Gaza Strip, Essam al-Dalis, among a list of officials it said were killed in a wave of Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territory.
"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.
Dalis, who was a member of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza, was elected to the movement's Gaza leadership in March 2021 and became the head of its administration in June of that year.
In November 2023, Israel claimed to have bombed a Hamas structure in which Dalis was present with other leaders who were killed.
Two Hamas sources told AFP earlier that a strike on Gaza City killed the movement's interior ministry head Abu Watfa.
Israel vowed to continue fighting in Gaza until the return of all hostages as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a January ceasefire.
Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials.
The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement.
Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel's actions.
The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza, including much of the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, and head toward the center of the territory, indicating that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The surprise attack shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.
Hamas blames 'unlimited' US support for Israel for deadly Gaza strikes
Hamas on Tuesday said it blamed the US administration's "unlimited political and military support" for Israel for a deadly wave of air strikes in Gaza.
"With its unlimited political and military support for the occupation (Israel), Washington bears full responsibility for the massacres and the killing of women and children in Gaza," Hamas said in a statement.