Israeli military bombs home of Hamas leader in Gaza as violence escalates

On Sunday, the Israeli military announced that it targeted the home of a top Hamas leader in Gaza.

According to Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, a spokesperson for the Israeli Army, the military targeted the home of Yehiyeh Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader inside the territory, who is allegedly in hiding along with the rest of the group’s other prominent leadership figures.

Sinwar's home was located in the town of Khan Younis in the Southern Gaza Strip, with the military adding that it also targeted the home of his brother at an undisclosed location.

Since fighting broke out earlier last week, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group have acknowledged that 20 fighters have been killed in targeted Israeli strikes, while the Israeli military has indicated that this number is significantly higher.

Israel has carried out hundreds of targeted airstrikes across the impoverished and blockaded territory in the Gaza Strip, bringing down multiple high-rise buildings, including one that housed The Associated Press’ Gaza office.

The latest surge in violence, the worst since the 2014 Gaza War, has killed at least 145 Palestinians in Gaza, a tally that includes 41 children and 23 women.

Israeli airstrikes created a crater that blocked one of the main roads leading to the Shifa Hospital, the largest medical center in the Gaza Strip.