Bardawil, 65, was killed along with his wife in a camp in al-Mawasi, near Khan Yunis, according to the Palestinian Islamist movement.

He is the third member of the political bureau to be killed since Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday, after Yasser Harb and Essam al-Dalis, the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military confirmed Sunday that it had targeted Bardawil, saying that "as part of his role, (he) directed the strategic and military planning" of Hamas in Gaza.

His "elimination further degrades Hamas' military and government capabilities", it added.

Bardawil, born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, joined Hamas when it was founded in 1987, serving as a spokesman before rising through the ranks and being elected to the political bureau in 2021.

He spoke against security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and supported armed struggle against Israel.

Detained by Israel in 1993 and interrogated for 70 days, according to Hamas, Bardawil was also arrested several times by the security forces of the Palestinian Authority.

In the flare-up since last week, Hamas has also announced the deaths of interior ministry head Mahmud Abu Watfa, and Bahjat Abu Sultan, the director general of the Internal Security Services.

Hamas sources said on Sunday that Mohammed Hassan al-Amur, the bodyguard of slain leader Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an overnight strike on his home in Khan Yunis.

Hamas has been considerably weakened by the deaths of many of its leaders, both inside and outside the Gaza Strip, since the start of the war triggered by its deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The head of Hamas's political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran on July 31, 2024, in an explosion claimed by Israel. His successor Sinwar died on October 16 in Gaza.