An Israeli air strike on the southern city of Khan Younis in Gaza has killed top Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel, a Hamas official has told the BBC.

Locals say the air strike killed both Bardaweel, a member of the group’s political office, and his wife. Israeli officials had no immediate comment.

Health authorities in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said at least 18 people had been killed in Khan Yunis and further south in Rafah so far on Sunday.

Israel resumed heavy strikes on Gaza earlier this week – in effect ending the first phase of a ceasefire that lasted almost two months. It blamed Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal to extend the truce.

Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of abandoning the original deal – mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US. It envisaged the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the subsequent release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners – in addition to negotiations to end the war entirely and reconstruct Gaza.

In a statement on Sunday, Hamas said Bardaweel had been praying along with his wife when an Israeli missile struck their tent.

Previously a spokesperson for Hamas, Bardaweel often made appearances on local media.

He is one of around 10 Hamas officials reported to have been killed since Israel restarted military operations in Gaza on Tuesday.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

More than 49,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says, and there is large-scale destruction to homes and infrastructure in the Strip.