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IDF Spokesperson/TPS-IL on 23 March, 2025
Israel Launches Ground Offensive in Beit Hanoun, Airstrike Kills Hamas Politburo Member
Jerusalem, 23 March, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- The Israel Defense Forces launched a ground operation against Hamas in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun on Sunday morning while the terror group confirmed that a member of its politburo was killed in an airstrike.
During the operation, fighter jets struck several Hamas targets and terror infrastructure sites in the area.
Meanwhile, the IDF also warned residents of Rafah’s Tel-Sultan neighborhood to evacuate their homes on Sunday.
“The IDF has launched an attack to strike at terrorist organizations. The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic language spokesperson tweeted. “Gush Katif Street is considered a humanitarian route for your use in order to move to the Mawasi area.”
Hamas confirmed a member of its politburo, Salah al-Bardawil, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis.
Also on Sunday morning, Israel’s Political-Security Cabinet approved a proposal by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz to establish a voluntary passage administration for Gaza residents interested in leaving the Strip for third countries.
“The administration will work, among other things, to prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing a traffic lane and checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, and coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea, and air to the target countries,” the Katz announced.
Meanwhile, Israeli air defenses intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. The military said the missile was shot down before reaching Israeli territory.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.
