The occupation assassinates Hamas political bureau member Salah al-Bardawil in Khan Yunis.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper reported that Hamas political bureau member Salah al-Bardawil was killed in an Israeli assassination operation in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

This comes as the Israeli occupation continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip, days after resuming its war and violating the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, cities around the world are erupting in mass demonstrations denouncing the resumption of Israel's bloody war on the Strip. This comes as a number of European countries call for a ceasefire and the entry of aid into the besieged Strip.

Meanwhile, Cairo is hosting a meeting on Sunday of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee for International Action on the Israeli Aggression on Gaza. The meeting includes the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Turkey, and Indonesia, along with the Secretary-General of the Arab League and the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The meeting will also be attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain and the Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates, and will be attended by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kallas.

In this context, Reuters quoted Ofer Falk, the Israeli Prime Minister's foreign affairs advisor, on Saturday, as saying that Israel would continue bombing Hamas targets in Gaza to secure the return of the detainees. Falk claimed that "military pressure pushed Hamas to accept the first truce" in November 2023, under which some 80 detainees were returned. He continued his claims by saying that this was also the best way to force the release of the remaining 59 detainees.

"The only reason they're coming back to the negotiating table is military pressure, and that's what we're doing now," he said. Falk declined to provide details about the negotiations aimed at returning to a ceasefire. But he claimed that Israel had accepted proposals from Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, to extend the truce until after Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover next month. "I can't go into the details of the negotiations. What I can say is that we will achieve all of our war objectives," he said.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed