More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected Israeli invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas’ leadership after its deadly incursion. Aid groups warn an Israeli ground offensive could hasten a humanitarian crisis.
Israeli forces, supported by U.S. warships, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group. A week of blistering airstrikes have demolished neighborhoods but failed to stop militant rocket fire into Israel.
The war that began Oct. 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel.
Currently:
1. Water has run out at U.N. shelters across Gaza and overwhelmed doctors at the territory’s largest hospital struggled to care for patients they fear will die once generators run out of fuel.
2. U.S. President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days, though no travel has yet been confirmed.
3. An urban battle during Israel’s 2014 war against Hamas offers a glimpse of the type of fighting that could lie ahead.
Here’s what’s happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war:
NETANYAHU WARNS MILITANTS IN THE NORTH: ‘DON’T TEST US’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and their Iranian backers that they will pay a high price if they become involved in the war.
Speaking to the Israeli Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu warned Iran and Hezbollah, “Don’t test us in the north. Don’t make the mistake of the past. Today, the price you will pay will be far heavier,” referring to Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah.
With a ground invasion of Gaza expected, Israel is preparing for the potential of a new front opening on its northern border with Lebanon, where it has exchanged fire repeatedly with the Hezbollah. The military has ordered residents from 28 Israeli communities close to the border to evacuate.
TWO PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS GO TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL
The U.N. Security Council is set to vote Monday evening on dueling proposed resolutions on the Israel-Hamas war. A Russian proposal calls for a cease-fire while a Brazilian draft seeks “humanitarian pauses” to let aid flow and urges Israel to rescind its order for an evacuation of northern Gaza.
Either draft, if adopted, would mark the first collective statement on the war from the U.N.’s most powerful organ.
Both draft resolutions, obtained by The Associated Press, call for releasing all hostages. In somewhat different language, both also condemn violence toward civilians, express concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and seek the provision of food, fuel and other aid.
But the differences are significant. Ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive in response to Hamas’ attack earlier this month, Russia’s proposed resolution calls for a “humanitarian cease-fire.” The Brazilian draft instead calls for “humanitarian pauses” and encourages establishing aid corridors and a notification mechanism to protect U.N. facilities and humanitarian sites and aid convoys.
Brazil’s draft presses Israel to call off its evacuation order — which the U.N. and aid groups have said would cause immeasurable human suffering — while Russia’s proposal speaks of “creating conditions for the safe evacuation of civilians in need.”
The council has become increasingly divided on many issues amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia is a veto-wielding member. Brazil, a two-year member without a veto, currently holds the rotating presidency.
TRUCKS CROSS INTO EGYPT TO LOAD UP WITH FUEL FOR GAZA
Oil tankers bearing United Nations flags have crossed into Egypt from Gaza to pick up fuel supplies for the besieged enclave.
The trucks were led across the Rafah border by a U.N. escort vehicle as people stood in line in hopes of crossing.
Hospitals in Gaza are expected to run out of generator fuel in the next 24 hours, endangering the lives of thousands of patients, according to the U.N. Gaza’s sole power plant shut down for lack of fuel after Israel completely sealed off the 40-kilometer (25-mile) long territory following the Hamas attack.
PAPAL REPRESENTATIVE OFFERS HIMSELF IN EXCHANGE FOR HAMAS HOSTAGES
ROME — The Roman Catholic Church’s top representative in the Holy Land has said he would be willing to offer himself in exchange for Hamas’ hostages if it would help bring children home.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s offer wasn’t a formal proposal but a response to a journalist’s hypothetical question. It was unlikely to be considered seriously by Hamas, which is believed to be holding at least 199 people in Gaza after its Oct. 7 incursion into Israel.
Asked on a Zoom briefing Monday with Vatican-based reporters if he would be willing to offer himself for the hostages, Pizzaballa said: “If I’m available for an exchange? Anything, if this could bring about the freedom of children, no problem. My absolute willingness.”
Pizzaballa has been criticized by Israel for an initial responses to the Hamas attack by Christian leaders in Jerusalem. The Israeli government in particular singled out a statement Oct. 7 by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, of which Pizzaballa is a part, and statements expressing concern for Palestinian victims in Gaza.
The patriarchs’ statement made no explicit mention of the Hamas attack, restating in general terms its condemnation of any act that targets civilians.
Pizzaballa on Monday distanced himself from the statement, suggesting he was not involved in its release. He said he felt some “perplexity” about how it was released and said he understood Israel’s anger.
“The Israeli Foreign Ministry is very irritated, to use an euphemism. I understand their reasons, I also feel some perplexity,” he said, but said he wouldn’t elaborate out of a sense of correctness vis a vis other church leaders. There are around a dozen Christian leaders in Jerusalem, many of them representing eastern rite Catholic or Orthodox churches that trace their presence in the region to the times of the Apostles.
FRANCE ACCUSES HAMAS OF NOT ALLOWING GAZA RESIDENTS TO LEAVE
PARIS — France says Gaza residents must be allowed to leave, accusing Hamas of preventing them from doing so, and wants the blockade of Gaza eased to allow in humanitarian aid.
The message was delivered Monday by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on a visit to Egypt, following talks the previous day with officials in Israel. “The blockade doesn’t respect humanitarian law,” she said. “Humanitarian aid must be permitted to enter Gaza, because it’s unacceptable to leave women, men, children who aren’t responsible for Hamas’ crimes suffering like this.”
Colonna also accused Hamas of preventing people from leaving Gaza. “It’s unacceptable,” she said. The minister reiterated that France is worried that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to other parts of the region, warning “the situation is serious, even dangerous.”
“France appeals to all groups or states who could seek to profit from the situation to abstain from doing so,” she said. Colonna was scheduled to hold more talks later Monday with officials in Lebanon.
HAMAS SAID IT MADE THE DECISION TO ATTACK ISRAEL WITHOUT DIRECTION FROM OUTSIDE
BEIRUT — Ahmed Abdul-Hadi, the representative of Hamas in Lebanon, insisted Monday that the decision to launch the surprise Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel was made by Hamas leadership and not directed by Iran or any other outside party, but he said that in event of a ground invasion of Gaza, allied groups will intervene.
The war in Gaza is “a Palestinian battle and the decision to enter it was a Palestinian decision” made by Hamas and its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al Qassam Brigades, “together with the Palestinian resistance factions,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of a conference convened by the group in Beirut.
Hamas officials have denied that Iran was directly involved in planning the deadly attack or gave it the green light, and to date no government worldwide has offered direct evidence that Iran orchestrated the attack. However, many have pointed to Iran’s long sponsorship of Hamas that has included training, funding and providing it with weapons.
Abdul-Hadi said that Hamas allies Iran and Hezbollah will not allow Israel “to crush Gaza” or to launch a “comprehensive ground attack,” but that the groups have deliberately left ambiguity about when and how they would respond. “This is up to the developments in the situation at the time.”
In case of a “ground attack, regardless of its level,” or if “more and more massacres continue to be committed” in Gaza and Hamas is using up its resources, he said, there will be “surprises announced.”
SYRIAN AND RUSSIAN LEADERS DISCUSS ISRAEL-HAMAS SITUATION
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian President Bashar Assad discussed the volatile situation in Gaza and ways of ending Israel’s attacks with his Russian counterpart.
Assad’s office said in a statement released Monday that Assad and Vladimir Putin called for aid to be allowed to enter Gaza and for an end to the Israeli bombardment and displacement of Palestinians.
Russia has been a main backer of Assad since Syria’s conflict began more than 12 years ago, and joined the war in 2015.
Israel’s military has carried out several attacks in Syria over the past week targeting the airports of Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, putting them out of service.
LEBANESE ARMY FINDS ROCKET LAUNCHERS ON THE BORDER
BEIRUT — The Lebanese army says search operations have led to the discovery of 20 rockets launchers near the Lebanon-Israel border.
The army said in a statement that four of the launchers discovered had rockets inside them and were ready to be fired.
The army said military experts are working on dismantling the launchers that were discovered near the village of Qlaileh, south of the port city of Tyre.
Over the past days dozens of rockets have been fired from Lebanon into northern Israel as tension rises in the region over the war in Gaza.
LEBANESE GOVERNMENT SCRAMBLES TO AVOID BEING DRAGGED INTO WAR
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister says the country’s politically paralyzed government has been scrambling to ease tensions along its southern border with Israel and avoid dragging the tiny country into a new war.
Najib Mikati has spoken by phone with top U.S. officials and heads of state and top diplomats from the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, and Italy.
“Lebanon is in the eye of the storm, and the region as a whole is in a difficult situation,” Mikati was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. The Lebanese government remains critical of Israel, but fears a new war could further devastate its battered economy and put the lives of its approximately 6.5 million people at risk.
There are concerns that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its powerful armed forces will ignore concerns from the Lebanese government and escalate once Israel launches a ground invasion.
Hezbollah and Israel have clashed along the border across several towns, but Hezbollah has not yet announced that it is joining the war.
AT THE CLOSED RAFAH CROSSING, DESPERATE PEOPLE WAIT TO ESCAPE
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Crowds of Palestinian dual nationals waited anxiously at the still-closed Rafah crossing on Monday, sitting on their suitcases or crouching on the floor, comforting crying infants and trying to entertain bored children.
For many, the despair over the impasse was turning to outrage.
“They are supposed to be a developed country, talking about human rights all the time,” Shurouq Alkhazendar, a 34-year-old whose two children are American citizens, said of the United States.
“If you want to do one of the basic things that you are talking about you should protect your citizens first, not leave them all alone suffering and being humiliated in front of the crossing.”
Rafah, Gaza’s only connection to Egypt, was shut down nearly a week ago because of Israeli airstrikes. While people wait to leave on the Gaza side, aid supplies are stalled inside Egypt. Mediators are pressing for a cease-fire.
IRAN SAYS HAMAS IS READY TO RELEASE HOSTAGES IF AIRSTRIKES STOP
JERUSALEM — Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that Hamas potentially was ready to release the nearly 200 hostages it is holding if Israel stops its campaign of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The militant group hasn’t acknowledged making such an offer.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani spoke at a news conference in Tehran. Iran’s theocracy is a main sponsor of Hamas in its fight against Israel, Tehran’s regional archenemy.
Hamas officials “stated that they are ready to take necessary measures to release the citizens and civilians held by resistant groups, but their point was that such measures require preparations that are impossible under daily bombardment by the Zionists against various parts of Gaza,” Kanaani said.
Hamas has said it will trade the captives for thousands of Palestinians held by Israel in the kind of lopsided exchange deals that have been reached in the past.
Iran has warned it could enter the war as well if Israel launches a widely anticipated ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in the coming days. Already, the Lebanese Shiite militia group Hezbollah, which is also sponsored by Iran, has launched missiles into Israel, though it insists that represents a “warning” for Israel rather than its full entry into the war.
“We heard from the resistance that they have no problem to continue resisting,” Kanaani said, referring to Hamas. “They said the resistance holds military capability to continue resisting in the field for a long time.”
The Associated Press