Cairo: Israeli forces continued their operation near the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis on Monday amid international efforts to reach a deal to end fighting in the Gaza Strip and prevent it from spiraling into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.
Palestinian doctors say the Israeli army attacked several areas of Khan Younis on Monday, killing at least 16 people and wounding several others, while families and displaced people fled the area under new evacuation orders that ordered people to leave.
As fighting continues in several parts of the Gaza Strip, Hamas has reacted with skepticism to the latest round of talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar, set to begin Thursday, saying it has seen no signs of progress from Israel.
The group said in a statement Sunday that mediators must force Israel to accept a ceasefire proposal based on the ideas of US President Joe Biden, which Hamas has already accepted, “instead of pursuing another round of negotiations or new proposals that would serve as a cover for the occupation’s aggression.”
Two sources close to Hamas said the group believes the call for new talks was coordinated in advance with Israel to deter retaliation from Iran and Hezbollah over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the group's chief in Tehran, and a senior Hezbollah leader in Lebanon.
“It is fair to say that there is little denial. If Hamas were given a workable roadmap, a positive Israeli response to a proposal that Hamas accepts, things could change. But so far, Hamas believes that Netanyahu is not serious about reaching an agreement,” said a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort.
Hamas' reaction to the talks comes as preparations for a larger confrontation mount, with Washington ordering guided-missile submarines to the Middle East and the Abraham Lincoln Strike Force expediting the deployment of such submarines to the region.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Iran was preparing a major military strike against Israel, Axios News reporter Barak Ravid, who is usually well-resourced, reported on Twitter.
Israel has been bracing for a major offensive since last month after a missile attack killed 12 young people in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Israel retaliated by killing a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
A day after the operation, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, prompting Iran to retaliate against Israel.
The potential violence underscores how much the Middle East is in turmoil as the war in Gaza enters its 11th month.
Hamas-led attacks on Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip have killed around 1,200 people, with more than 250 taken captive in Gaza, according to Israeli estimates, making them among the worst attacks on Israel in history.
In retaliation, Israeli forces have bombarded the Gaza Strip, displacing much of the population and killing an estimated 40,000 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, in a war that has engulfed the world in horror.
On Saturday, scores of people were killed in an Israeli attack on a school building in Gaza City, which the military said was targeted by fighters from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups.
Gaza health officials say most of the dead were civilians, but Israel says at least a third were combatants. Israel says it has lost 329 soldiers in Gaza.
