Middle East conflict

24 Mar, 01:39

Hamas confirms death of senior official Barhoum in Israeli airstrike on hospital in Gaza

The TV channel reported earlier that Barhoum, who was in charge of Hamas's financial assets in Gaza, was killed

CAIRO, March 24. /TASS/. Palestinian movement Hamas has confirmed that its senior political bureau official Ismail Barhoum was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip, Qatar’s Al Jazeera television channel reported.

The TV channel reported earlier that Barhoum, who was in charge of Hamas's financial assets in Gaza, was killed in an attack on the Nasser hospital in the town of Khan Yunis.

Hamas stated on its Telegram account that Ismail Barhoum was "assassinated by the occupation in a strike on Nasser Hospital while receiving treatment."

"We condemn this latest crime, which adds to the occupation’s long record of terrorism, violating sanctities, lives, and medical facilities. It reaffirms its disregard for all international laws and conventions and its continued policy of systematic killing against our people and leadership," the statement reads.

Barhoum has been on the British sanctions list since December 2023, and has been subject to EU restrictive measures since June 2024.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 250 hostages, including women, children and the elderly.

Hamas described its attack as retaliation for the aggressive actions taken by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis.

On March 18, the Israeli army resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip, launching massive strikes on the enclave breaking the ceasefire established in January. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained this by the fact that the radical Palestinian movement Hamas had rejected proposals put forward at the talks by mediators and the US President’s special envoy Steven Witkoff.

It also stated that the goal of the operation in the Gaza Strip is to free all hostages. The radicals blamed Israel and the US for the resumption of hostilities.

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Middle East conflict

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