New Hamas prime minister killed in precision strike on Nasser Hospital days after predecessor’s death

The Hamas terror organization on Monday morning announced the killing of Ismail Barhoum, a member of its political bureau and designated new prime minister of its Gaza government.

Barhoum was killed in an Israeli airstrike Sunday at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. Following initial reports of a rare strike on a hospital, a report from the Saudi news site al-Arabiya claimed that Barhoum was the target, which has since been confirmed officially by Hamas. 

“The strike was conducted following an extensive intelligence-gathering process and with precise munitions, in order to mitigate harm to the surrounding environment as much as possible,” the IDF said. 

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) and Shin Bet confirmed that they conducted a precision strike on the second floor of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. The strike eliminated a yet unnamed Hamas decision-maker, who was operating out of the hospital. The… pic.twitter.com/4viS7tULXI

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 23, 2025

Palestinian reports said the strike specifically targeted the second story of the building that Barhoum was occupying. The Qatari Al-Jazeera network claimed that his death came after "he was injured while receiving treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.” 

IDF international spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani rejected the Arab reports that Barhoum was seeking treatment in Nasser Hospital.

In a post to X, Shoshani wrote, "The claim that Barhoum was in Nasser hospital for medical treatment is completely false and was spread to mislead the public and the media. Barhoum was in the hospital in order to commit acts of terrorism, cynically using hospital patients and the population in the area as human shields."

The claim that Barhoum was in Nasser hospital for medical treatment is completely false and was spread to mislead the public and the media.

Barhoum was in the hospital in order to commit acts of terrorism, cynically using hospital patients and the population in the area as human…

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) March 24, 2025

The announcement from Hamas followed a few hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the killing of Barhoum, noting he was the replacement for Issam Da’alis, whom Israel had killed a few days earlier. 

“I congratulate the IDF and Shin Bet forces on the assassination this evening of Ismail Barhoum, the new Hamas prime minister in Gaza who replaced Issam Da'alis, the previous prime minister who was assassinated a few days ago,” Katz said. 

Barhoum is the fourth senior Hamas official to be eliminated in targeted strikes in the past 24 hours. 

Just a couple of hours before announcing Barhoum's death, the IDF announced the elimination of two senior Hamas commanders, Jamil Omar Jamil Wadiya and Ahmad Salman 'Awj Shimali. 

The two were brigade or battalion commanders for Hamas and were eliminated in separate strikes. 

‘Awj Shimali was the deputy commander of Hamas' Gaza Brigade, and was responsible for operations, planning the offensive strategy, and building the brigade's force in preparation for Hamas' brutal massacre on southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, 2023.

Jamil Wadiya was the commander of Hamas' Shejaiya Battalion, in the Gaza City area, and led the battalion after the killing of the previous commander, Wessam Farhat, in December 2023. 

Before that, the IDF announced the killing of senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil, another member of Hamas’ political bureau, and one of the few senior leaders who chose to remain in the Gaza Strip despite the war. 

Defense Minister Katz indicated that the military operations in Gaza will continue and expand over the coming days. 

“Operation ‘Strength and Sword’ continues and expands. It will hit Hamas terrorists hard until the hostages are released,” Katz stated. 

On Sunday, the IDF began to move the 36th Armored Division down to the border of the Gaza Strip in preparation for re-entry and resuming the ground campaign. 

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security establishment are planning a major ground offensive in Gaza aimed at annexing territory to pressure Hamas into capitulating.

Israel sent infantry reinforcements into both the northern Gaza Strip and Rafah in the south on Sunday. The IDF has also deployed troops in the Netzarim Corridor, from which it had previously withdrawn under the ceasefire agreement. 

The WSJ report claims the moves represent a new strategy aimed at completely defeating Hamas in Gaza. The report stated that Netanyahu’s coalition government believes Hamas must be fully defeated in the enclave “before any political solution to the fate of Gaza can be advanced.” 

Under previous defense leaders, including former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Israel attempted to degrade Hamas militarily, believing it would be necessary to establish a new governing authority in Gaza to ultimately end Hamas’ influence.

The new security leadership, including Katz and IDF Chief Eyal Zamir, believe that Israel’s successes last year against Hezbollah, along with the strong backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, have given Israel more latitude to defeat Hamas militarily before attempting to replace the group’s governing capacity.