After the suspected Israeli attack on Iran's embassy compound in Syria, the USA fears a retaliatory strike. Meanwhile, Israel kills sons of Hamas's foreign chief. The news at a glance.
Tel Aviv/Gaza - The Israeli army said it began a military operation in the central section of the Gaza Strip overnight. An army statement spoke of a “precise intelligence-based operation aimed at eliminating terrorist operatives and targeting terrorist infrastructure in the central sector of Gaza.” Before ground troops advanced, Israeli warplanes attacked terrorist targets above and below ground.
At least five Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a home in the Nuseirat refugee neighborhood in the central part of the Gaza Strip, medics said.
The army said that during the night's operation, soldiers "identified an armed terrorist who emerged from a terror tunnel near Israeli troops and went into a military installation." A fighter jet hit him as he approached the troops. Several rocket launch pads were also found. The Navy also fired on several targets in the area.
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, 33,482 people have been killed and more than 76,000 others injured in the Gaza Strip since the Gaza war began more than six months ago. The numbers, which do not distinguish between fighters and civilians, cannot be independently verified.
USA stands “ironically” with Israel after Iran’s threat
Meanwhile, the USA assured Israel of its support in the face of threats from Iran. As he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US commitment to Israel's security "is ironclad against these threats from Iran and its proxies," said US President Joe Biden. “Let me say it again: ironclad.”
His Secretary of State Antony Blinken also reiterated in a conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant that the US would stand by its ally Israel in the face of “any threats from Iran and its proxies,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller .
US intelligence reports showed that an attack on Israeli facilities by Iran or its proxies could be imminent, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
Biden: Iran threatens significant attack
After the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria, Iran's head of state Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated his threat against Israel. The attack was like an attack on Iranian territory. “The evil regime (Israel) has made a mistake, in this case it must be punished and will be punished,” the religious leader said.
At the beginning of April, two brigadier generals and five other members of the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were killed in an air strike on the Iranian embassy compound. Since then, Iran's leadership has threatened retaliation several times - there are fears of an escalation. How and when Iran will react, however, remains completely open.
Biden said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that Iran was "threatening a significant attack on Israel." “We will do everything we can to protect Israel’s security,” he promised.
Hamas insists on demands
According to the Islamist Hamas, three sons and four grandchildren of Hamas foreign chief Ismail Haniya were killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip. Israel's army said three members of Hamas's military wing were "taken out" by a fighter jet attack during terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip. The military confirmed that these were the sons of Haniah. There was no confirmation of the deaths of the grandchildren.
“I thank God for the honor he bestowed on us with the martyrdom of my three sons and some grandchildren,” the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera quoted the Hamas leader as saying. According to the Wall Street Journal, he is said to have ten more children. Haniya said the attack was evidence of Israel's "failure" and would not affect Hamas's positions in indirect negotiations over a cease-fire and the release of more hostages.
Hamas continues to insist on a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza war, Al-Jazeera reported. Haniya, head of the Hamas politburo, has reportedly been living a luxurious life in Qatar with part of his family for years. He is considered the “overarching” head of the Islamist Hamas, while Jihia al-Sinwar is the head of the Gaza Strip.
The Politburo is considered the highest decision-making body and has 15 members. It is unclear whether the killing of Haniya's children will significantly change the dynamics of ceasefire negotiations, as decision-making has tended to focus on al-Sinwar and the military wing of Hamas, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Report: Hamas rejects US ceasefire proposal
A compromise proposal put forward by the United States in indirect ceasefire negotiations was largely rejected by Hamas, as the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed mediators. The terrorist organization is instead planning to submit its own counterproposal.
Meanwhile, Hamas circles in the Lebanese capital Beirut said that the negotiations remained in the status quo. Israel rejects a permanent end to the war without a decisive victory over Hamas. There is currently no official information on the current status of negotiations. After talks in Cairo, Hamas representatives left the Egyptian capital on Monday for consultations with their leadership.
Meanwhile, the commander of US troops in the region, General Michael Erik Kurilla, is expected in Israel this week, according to the Wall Street Journal. Even before the attack in Damascus, he had planned to travel to Israel primarily to discuss the logistics of building a temporary shipping dock off the coast of Gaza with the aim of expanding humanitarian aid deliveries.
It is now expected that Iranian threats against Israel and the question of how the USA could respond to them will also be a topic at Kurilla's talks, it said. According to the report, Kurilla is also expected to meet Israel's Defense Minister Galant. dpa