Hamas appealed to Arab and Islamic nations “to take urgent action” in the UN Security Council and other forums to halt the renewed fighting.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza a “catastrophic crime” and said the US “shares responsibility”.
Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel that began the war resulted in 1218 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.
The overall death toll in Gaza since the start of the war is 49,617, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Ryan Bohl, senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at risk advisory RANE, said he believes all is not lost.
“From a negotiation standpoint, we’re not quite as bad off as we were about a year ago. There is a ceasefire framework that both sides could get back on track towards, particularly releasing hostages for Palestinian prisoners,” Bohl told CNA’s Asia First.
“But right now, it’s really Israel that has stepped away from that framework in the most expansive way,” he added.
“For the time being, it looks like what the Israelis want is to carry out this new military campaign to pressure Hamas into new concessions.”
