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Israeli Strikes Kill 26 in Gaza, Including Senior Hamas Political Leader

Palestinians search through the rubble of a building at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 23, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians search through the rubble of a building at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 23, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 26 in Gaza, Including Senior Hamas Political Leader

Palestinians search through the rubble of a building at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 23, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians search through the rubble of a building at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 23, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli strikes across the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 26 Palestinians overnight into Sunday, including a Hamas political leader and several women and children. Residents said tanks had advanced into an area of the southern city of Rafah as the military ordered it evacuated.
Gaza's Health Ministry said the total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war has now passed 50,000 after Israel ended the ceasefire last week with a wave of strikes that have killed nearly 700.
The military ordered people to leave the already heavily destroyed Tel al-Sultan neighborhood on foot along a single route to Muwasi, a sprawling area of squalid tent camps, The Associated Press reported.
Late Saturday, Israel's Cabinet approved a proposal to set up a new directorate tasked with advancing the “voluntary departure" of Palestinians in line with US President Donald Trump's proposal to depopulate Gaza and rebuild it for others. Palestinians say they do not want to leave their homeland, and rights groups have said the plan could amount to expulsion in violation of international law.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the new body would be “subject to Israeli and international law” and coordinate "passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.”
In Rafah on Sunday, Palestinian men, women and children could be seen walking along a dirt road and carrying their belongings in their arms, a recurring scene in a war that has forced most of Gaza's population to flee within the territory, often multiple times.
Hamas said that Salah Bardawil, a member of its political bureau and the Palestinian parliament, was killed in a strike in Muwasi that also killed his wife. Bardawil was a well-known member of the group’s political wing who gave media interviews over the years.
Hospitals in southern Gaza said they had received another 24 bodies from strikes overnight, including several women and children.
The European Hospital said five children and their parents were killed in a strike on the southern city of Khan Younis. Another family — two girls and their parents — were killed in a separate strike. The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received the bodies of two children and their parents who were killed in a strike on their home. Two other children are still under the rubble, according to the hospital.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said a total of 50,021 Palestinians have been killed in the war and more than 113,000 have been wounded. The latest toll announced Sunday includes 673 people killed since Israel's surprise bombardment on Tuesday.

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Arab World

Iraq and Syria Open ‘New Chapter’ in Ties to Confront ‘Common Challenges’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
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Iraq and Syria Open ‘New Chapter’ in Ties to Confront ‘Common Challenges’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stressed on Tuesday his country’s support to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning the Israeli incursion into its land.

Sudani held telephone talks with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first between the two leaders since the latter assumed his post in January.

Sudani’s office said he underlined “Iraq’s firm stance in supporting the Syrian people’s choices and the importance that all of Syria’s segments join its political process.”

The process should “ensure peaceful coexistence and security to achieve a secure and stable future for Syria and the whole region,” he added.

He also emphasized the importance of “mutual cooperation in confronting the threat of ISIS,” as well as cooperation in economic fields.

Since the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria in December, Iraqi authorities have imposed strict measures along the border with Syria to bar the infiltration of gunmen and ISIS members.

The Syrian presidency said Sudani and Sharaa discussed bilateral relations between their countries and means to bolster them in various fields. They also underscored the “depth of relations between their people and economy.”

They stressed the importance of opening a new chapter in bilateral ties based on joint cooperation to confront regional challenges and prevent tensions in the region.

They discussed border security and cooperation in combating drug smuggling.

Sharaa said Syria is “committed to developing bilateral relations and respecting Iraq’s sovereignty.” He expressed “keenness on refraining in meddling in its internal affairs, stressing the need for cooperation to confront common challenges and consolidating political ties” between their countries.

Sudani also welcomed the formation of the new Syrian government, which was announced on Saturday.

Forces within Iraq’s ruling pro-Iran Coordination Framework were opposed to establishing relations with the new Syrian authorities, led by Sharaa, that ousted the Assad regime.

An Iraqi source said the talks between Sudani and Sharaa helped “break the ice and tensions after a series of positive measures taken by the Syrian authorities to ease Iraqi concerns.”

Baghdad has been wary of the new authorities and has been hesitant in approaching them due to security concerns and the fears of the possible re-emergence of the ISIS terrorist group in the region.

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani's visit to Baghdad in March where he met with Sudani helped break the ice.

During the visit, Baghdad urged the new Syrian rulers to “take into consideration Syria’s religious and ethnic diversity and to exert efforts in protecting religious freedoms and fighting terrorism,” revealed a source close to the Iraqi government.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sudani and Sharaa stressed during their call keenness on developing ties between their countries after Syria’s assurances that it would respect diversity and forge ahead with serious dialogue with various segments.

Prominent Sunni Iraqi politician Khamis al-Khanjar criticized the “voices that have been skeptical and opposed to rapprochement between Iraq and Syria.”

In a statement on Tuesday, he said Sudani and Sharaa’s telephone call should be praised, underlining his support for steps taken by the Iraqi government to be open to the Arab world and reclaim its sovereign voice.