PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES (AFP) – Israel struck war-battered Gaza overnight, Hamas and witnesses said yesterday, as world leaders urged de-escalation awaiting Israel’s reaction to Iran’s unprecedented attack that heightened fears of wider conflict.
World powers have urged restraint after Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel late on Saturday, though the Israeli military has said nearly all were intercepted.
Tehran’s first direct assault on Israel, in retaliation for a deadly April 1 strike on its Damascus consulate, followed months of violence across the region involving Iranian proxies and allies who say they act in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his war Cabinet on Sunday, but no decision has been made on how or when Israel could respond to the Iran attack, local media said, reporting another meeting yesterday.
Tensions in Iran “weaken the regime and rather serve Israel”, the newspaper Israel Hayom said, adding that this suggested Israeli leaders would not rush to retaliate. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned that a “reckless” Israeli move would spark a “much stronger response”, while Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said yesterday that Western nations should “appreciate Iran’s restraint” in recent months.
Tehran has insisted the attack on Israel was an act of “self-defence” after the Damascus strike that killed seven Revolutionary Guards including two generals.
The Israeli military said it would not be distracted from its war against Tehran-backed Hamas in Gaza.
As mediators eye a deal to halt the fighting, fears persisted over Israeli plans to send ground troops into Rafah, a far-southern city where the majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have taken refuge.
The Hamas government media office said Israeli aircraft and tanks launched “dozens” of strikes overnight on central Gaza, reporting several casualties. Witnesses told AFP that strikes hit the Nuseirat refugee camp, with clashes also reported in other areas of central and northern Gaza.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,729 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry. The United Nations (UN) Security Council held an emergency meeting yesterday following the Iranian attack, where Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the region was “on the brink” of war. “Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” the UN chief said. “Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate.” G7 leaders also condemned Iran’s attack and called for “restraint” on all sides, European Council President Charles Michel wrote on X after a video conference on Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday his government would help do everything to avoid a “conflagration” in the Middle East. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that after Israel’s “success” in intercepting the Iranian launches, “our advice is to contribute to de-escalation”.
Israel’s top ally the United States has also urged caution and calm.
“We don’t want to see this escalate,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told NBC.
