Shortly after midnight on Sunday, 23 March 2025, a senior Hamas Political Bureau member, head of Hamas’ planning and development office in the southern Gaza Strip, 65-year-old Salah Al-Bardawil, and his wife, Umm Mohammed, were killed by a declared  Israeli airstrike on their tent on Roni Street in the al-Sumoud Camp for displaced people in al-Mawasi to the west of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip. Several people were also reportedly injured in the Israeli attack, and some sources reported that three people were killed in the attack, but did not name the possible third victim.

Twitter/X account @PalinfoAr reported the death of Al-Bardawil and his wife at 12:41 AM, referring to the sources inside the Al-Bardawil family. At 1:22 AM, the news agency Safa reported injuries resulting from the strike. Multiple sources, including Palestine Info Arabic via Twitter/X, reported that Salah and his wife died during tahajjud prayer in their tent at night on 23 March 2025, during Ramadan.

Twitter/X user @PalinfoAr shared a video showing the dead body of Salah, confirming his death. Twitter/X user @AlDarshtartoury shared an image of his dead body. He apparently died from a head injury.

The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the strike that had killed Salah al-Bardawil in their Telegram post at 15:22 on March 23, 2025, claiming that he was a “senior terrorist in Hamas’ political bureau.” The statement read:

“The IDF and ISA eliminated a senior terrorist in Hamas’ political bureau, who directed Hamas’ strategic and military planning.”

The post went on to say “Last night (Sunday), the IDF and ISA struck and eliminated the terrorist Salah Bardawil, head of Hamas’ planning and development office, in the southern Gaza Strip. Bardawil served as a senior terrorist in Hamas’ political bureau, and as part of his role, directed the strategic and military planning of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”

Unless there is evidence to the contrary, Aiwars does not consider statements from the perpetrator as evidence of the militant status of the individual. In recent years, Gaza has been governed by Hamas, with leadership both inside and outside of Palestine, made up of a consultative Shura Council and a Political Bureau. Though designated as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, and others, members of Hamas administrative bodies are not considered members of the militant wing of Hamas and do not directly participate in hostilities.

Salah was a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau and had formerly been a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, representing Hamas from 2006 to 2018 when the Council was dissolved.  A Facebook post from an account called Violet Light referred to Salah as the leader of the movement, with other sources referring to him as a senior member of the political bureau and a spokesman for the party. No information was found online to indicate that Bardawil was engaged in military activities – he has therefore been graded as a civilian due to his political and civil role unless further information should come to light.

Palestine Info Arabic and the Palestine Dialogue Network, @PalDF, as well as other sources reported that three people were allegedly killed in the attack. However, the majority of sources only named Salah and his wife, Umm Mohammed, as the victims of this alleged Israeli airstrike.

Twitter/X account of Palestine Info Arabic and other sources across social media platforms reported that several people were injured as a result of the alleged attack and taken to the Kuwait Specialised Hospital for treatment.

Salah’s nephew, Mohammed Al Bardweel Abo Ismail, wrote a tribute to his uncle on Facebook: “To the pleasure of Allah, my beloved uncle, the great mujahid leader, Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil “Abu Muhammad”, a martyr. Social media users shared numerous images of the late Salah Al-Bardawil, including one where he was giving an interview, standing near a Palestinian flag, wearing glasses, a black coat, and a striped scarf.

A video shared on Facebook by Roya Palestine showed the alleged site of the attack and a large crater, at least several metres wide and a few metres deep, with a number of surrounding tents warped and burnt out.

Al Jazeera Egypt posted a video to Facebook showing the funeral procession of the leader and his wife, with a large group gathered to mourn and carry the bodies through the street to their final resting place.

The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the strike, but fell short of acknowledging the civilian harm resulting from it. Airwars has therefore graded the strike status of the incident as “declared”, but civilian harm status as “fair.”

Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, Salah al-Bardawil’s name was reconciled with an individual, Salah Mohammad Ibrahim al-Bardawil, age 65, whose entry was included in the ninth  ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on June 23, 2025.