CAIRO: Israeli forces continued their operations near the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis on Monday, amid growing international pressure for a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and prevent it from spiraling into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.
Palestinian medics said Israeli forces attacked several areas of Khan Yunis on Monday, killing at least 16 people and wounding several others. Meanwhile, more families and migrants have been forced to flee the area, as new evacuation orders have been issued to evacuate the area.
As fighting continues in several parts of the Gaza Strip, Hamas has reacted skeptically to recent talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar scheduled for Thursday, saying there has been no movement on the Israeli side.
The group said in a statement Sunday that mediators should force Israel to accept a ceasefire proposal based on ideas from U.S. President Joe Biden that Hamas has embraced, “rather than pursuing further negotiations or new proposals that could serve as a cover for the occupation’s aggression.”
According to two sources close to Hamas, the group is convinced that the new call for talks was pre-arranged with Israel to curb Iranian and Hezbollah reactions to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah leader in Lebanon.
“It could be called a soft rejection. If Hamas receives a viable plan and responds positively to the proposals Israel accepts, then things could change, but so far Hamas feels Netanyahu is not serious about negotiating,” said one Palestinian official close to the mediation effort.
Hamas's response to the talks comes amid growing preparations for a larger conflict. Washington has ordered guided missile submarines to the Middle East and is accelerating the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln strike group to the region.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Iran was preparing a major military strike against Israel, Barack Ravid, a widely known Axios News informant, reported on Twitter.
Israel has been bracing for a major offensive since a missile strike last month killed 12 teenagers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
The day after the operation, Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, prompting Iran to vow revenge against Israel.
This potential escalation of conflict shows how deeply the Middle East has been thrown into chaos by the ongoing war in Gaza, which has now been going on for 11 months.
According to Israeli figures, the Hamas-led offensive against Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 prisoners in Gaza, making it one of the most devastating strikes in Israeli history.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli forces responded by destroying the Gaza Strip and displacing most of its population, a war that has sent shockwaves around the world and left some 40,000 people dead.
On Saturday, Israel struck a school building in Gaza City, killing dozens of people. The Israeli military said the strike targeted fighters belonging to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad wing.
Gaza health officials say most of the dead are civilians, but Israel says at least a third are combatants. Israel says it has lost 329 soldiers in Gaza.
