The assassination of Hamas political bureau member Salah Al-Bardawil in Khan Younis dominated morning headlines, with Palestinian media reporting he was the target of Israeli airstrikes. By midday, Israel had established a directorate for displacing Gaza residents and formalized 13 West Bank settlements as the Palestinian death toll exceeded 50,000 since the war began.
Israeli forces surrounded Tel Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, trapping approximately 50,000 residents while civil defense warned of life-threatening danger. Egypt's Foreign Minister proposed a six-month Palestinian committee to govern Gaza while excluding all Palestinian factions from future administration.
By evening, Israeli forces struck Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, where Hamas political bureau member Ismail Barhum was assassinated while receiving treatment in the surgery room. This marked the fifth Hamas leader killed in six days as Israel's military prepared for expanded ground operations.