Is the entire Middle East in danger? Widening war between Israel and Hamas is inevitable, Iran warns

“The war against civilians in the Gaza Strip is intensifying and the expansion of the war is now inevitable,” Abdollahjan said in a telephone conversation with Qatari Foreign Minister Muhammad bin Abdarrahman Al Sani.

Iran, as a financial and military supporter of Hamas, described the Hamas attack on Israel as a success, but denied taking part in it. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that he “considers the support of resistance groups to be the duty of his country”.

However, he insisted that he must act independently. Tehran also supports the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israel on its border with Lebanon since the Hamas attack. Iran does not recognize the state of Israel, and since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 has made support for the Palestinians central to its foreign policy.

According to the Ministry of Health, at least 10,000 people were killed during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, and another 32,000 people were injured. Israel records at least 1,400 dead and more than 3,000 wounded after the Hamas attack on October 7. The Israel Defense Forces also said Hamas was holding more than 230 hostages.

According to available and unverified data, the number of dead on both sides of the conflict reaches at least 11,000, and at least 35,000 people are injured. The United Nations says more than 600,000 Gazans have been displaced since Israel began bombing.

The radical Palestinian movement Hamas fired more than 2,500 rockets against Israel in the early morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, and Palestinian militants penetrated several Israeli towns near the Gaza border. Rocket impacts were reported from both Tel Aviv and other cities.

Eyewitnesses reported shooting in the streets and Israel spoke of a massacre in which Hamas beheaded children and executed civilians. It is not yet known how the attackers from the Gaza Strip managed to cross the heavily guarded border. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said Hamas entered Israel by land, sea and air, which it subsequently carried out. A number of intelligence and military officials claimed responsibility for the attack.

The leader of the Islamist movement Hamas confirmed that the armed group launched a military operation against Israel in October. Muhammad Daif said that this is the beginning of the “Al-Aqsa Storm” operation. Palestinian militants also managed to penetrate into the city of Sderot, where there were clashes with Israeli forces.

In response to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned top security officials, formed an emergency government, and the state officially declared war on Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation “Iron Swords” and the Israeli Air Force launched a counterattack on Hamas positions in response to the attack.

In the course of the following days, rocket attacks on Israel continued, as well as retaliation by the Israeli air force in the form of bombing hundreds of targets in Gaza. While Western countries mostly express support for Israel, Gaza is supported by, for example, Iran or Saudi Arabia. Non-governmental organizations and the UN are mainly asking for the situation to calm down due to the ever-increasing number of dead civilians. However, there are diplomatic rifts.

Later, the Israeli army regained control of all the towns around the Gaza border and secured the border. The Minister of Defense subsequently ordered a total blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel will now attempt to free the captured hostages and has launched a ground invasion of Gaza.

States and organizations are also calling for the creation of a humanitarian corridor, as most of the two million residents of the Gaza Strip are dependent on outside aid. Although humanitarian convoys are heading to the area, hospitals in Gaza are still overloaded and struggling with a lack of electricity, and people are running out of food and water.