Fears that the Israel-Hamas war could mushroom into a wider Middle East conflict rose yesterday with Washington warning of a significant risk to US interests in the region as ally Israel pounded Gaza and clashes on its border with Lebanon intensified.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said 266 Palestinians, including 117 children, had been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours in the enclave, to which Israel laid “total siege” after a deadly mass infiltration into Israel by Hamas gunmen on October 7.
A mourner carries the body of a child, during the funeral of Palestinians from Al Astal family, who were killed in Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis
In neighbouring Syria, where Hamas’ main regional backer Iran has a military presence, Israeli missiles hit Damascus and Aleppo international airports early yesterday, putting both out of service and killing two workers, Syrian state media said.
Along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, the Iran-backed Hizbollah group has clashed with Israeli forces in support of Hamas in the deadliest escalation of frontier violence since an Israel-Hizbollah war in 2006.
With violence around its heavily guarded borders increasing, Israel yesterday added 14 communities close to Lebanon and Syria to its evacuation contingency plan in the north of the country.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the international community to create “a united front” to stop Israel’s attacks against Gaza and allow in desperately needed aid which has only begun to trickle in.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that Washington would send more military assets to the Middle East in support of Israel and strengthen the US defence posture in the region after “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces” – a reference to Hizbollah, Palestinian and other militants.
US President Joe Biden held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the conflict, the White House said. Biden also spoke with Pope Francis, discussing “the need to prevent escalation in the region and to work towards a durable peace in the Middle East”, the White House said.
The Vatican earlier said the call, which lasted about 20 minutes, “focused on conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace.”
Biden condemned the attack by Hamas and affirmed the need to protect civilians in Gaza, the White House said.
They also discussed Biden’s recent visit to Israel and efforts for delivery of food, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance in Gaza, according to the White House.
The Pope has several times called for the release of hostages taken by Hamas. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that after the release of two US citizens on Friday the US hoped for more hostages to be freed by Hamas.
Earlier in the day, Pope Francis told crowds in St Peter’s Square he was deeply saddened by the “grave situation in Gaza,” where an Anglican hospital and a Greek Orthodox church had been bombed. “Brothers, stop,” Pope Francis said.
Netanyahu said French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will visit Israel this week.
Washington has deployed a significant amount of naval power to the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, support ships and about 2,000 Marines, to help deter attacks by Iran-affiliated forces.
Israel unleashed an aerial blitz on Gaza to its southwest, and Gaza’s Health Ministry said that air and missile strikes had killed at least 4,741 and wounded 15,898, with over a million of the densely populated enclave’s 2.3 million people displaced.
Palestinians gather around the remains of a mosque destroyed in Israeli strikes
Israel has amassed tanks and troops near the fenced border around Gaza for a planned ground invasion aiming to annihilate Hamas, after several inconclusive wars dating to its seizure of power there in 2007, after Israel ended a 38-year occupation.
Hamas’ armed wing said it had fired more rockets at Tel Aviv yesterday. There was no immediate word of damage or casualties.
With Israel keeping up daily bombings, Palestinians said they received renewed Israeli military warnings to move from Gaza’s north to the south to avoid the deadliest theatre of the war.
They said military leaflets dropped on the territory, just 45km long, contained the added warning that they could be identified as sympathisers with a “terrorist organisation” if they stayed put.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said most of the dead from air strikes over the past 24 hours were in Gaza’s south. Israel says it is only targeting militants and that they often use residential buildings as cover.