Israel Denies Violations as Truce Faces Momentary Strain
Iran warns Mideast could ‘go out of control’ as Israel steps up attacks
New Delhi : The Israeli military conducted multiple strikes on Sunday, targeting locations in Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza. There are increasing concerns that the conflict may escalate further throughout the Middle East.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian issued a warning to both Israel and the United States on Sunday. He stated that if they do not immediately halt what he referred to as “crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza,” the situation could spiral out of control at any moment, potentially leading to wider regional instability.
These escalated military actions coincided with the arrival of a humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza from Egypt for the second consecutive day. However, the United Nations cautioned that the aid provided constitutes only about 4% of the daily average of imports seen in previous conflicts, falling far short of the region’s urgent needs.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the bombardments in Gaza have continued with little respite as the conflict entered its 15th day. Additionally, Israel’s strikes in Syria have impacted international airports in Damascus and Aleppo. The Syrian Transport Ministry disclosed that missile damage forced the shutdown of these airports. Regrettably, one civilian worker was killed, and another was wounded at Damascus International Airport. Israel has cited the need to prevent arms shipments from Iran, which also supports Hamas and other militant groups, as the reason behind its strikes in Syria.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israeli forces were responsible for the deaths of at least five individuals on Sunday, as confirmed by the local Health Ministry. Among them, two were killed in an airstrike on a mosque in Jenin, which the Israeli military claimed belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants involved in previous attacks and planning additional ones.
Since the commencement of the conflict, Palestinian militants have launched over 7,000 rockets into Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been displaced from their homes. In terms of casualties, the Israeli death toll has surpassed 1,400, with the majority being civilians killed during the initial hours of Hamas’ attack on border villages. Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry, stands at 4,385, with nearly two-thirds of the fatalities being children and women. Over 1,000 individuals are reported as missing, raising concerns that they might be trapped or deceased under the rubble.
On Sunday, Israel reiterated its call for Palestinians to leave northern Gaza. While approximately 700,000 people have already fled the area, hundreds of thousands remain. Unfortunately, moving to southern Gaza has provided little respite, as Israeli airstrikes there have also caused significant damage to cities and infrastructure. Gaza’s Housing Ministry reports that more than 160,000 homes and apartments, constituting over 40% of all dwellings in Gaza, have been damaged or destroyed since the conflict began two weeks ago. Consequently, about 1.4 million out of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have become internally displaced, with 566,000 of them seeking shelter in U.N. emergency facilities, according to the United Nations.
