The war between Israel and Hamas seems to escalate as Iran threatens to join the war if Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues.
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The October 7 surprise attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, who infiltrated Israel on an inhumane rampage, killed more than 1,300 people and wounded 3,400. The attack prompted Israel to conduct retaliatory strikes on Hamas by air and sea. So far, 2,670 people have been killed, including nearly 10,000 wounded, with civilian lives lost on both sides.
A ground offensive in Gaza seems imminent. Iran on Sunday warned that a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip could escalate conflicts further. Earlier, the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah had also threatened to join the war. The aim of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities by targeting their base in Gaza.
Hamas is using its 2.3 million population, including children and women, as human shields to stay protected from the strikes. The IDF forces had ordered one million people to evacuate the northern area and move to the southern side amidst an expected ground invasion, but Hamas told the people to stay and is blocking the roads, preventing people from leaving.
Iran’s Foreign Minister meets Qatar’s Sheikh and the PM
In recent days, Iran’s Foreign Minister (FM) Amir-Abdollahian has been in Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, and Iraq, holding a series of meetings, including with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad aL-Thani and Qatar’s PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thaniin, terrorist group Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, and others.
The Foreign Minister held talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad aL-Thani in Doha on Sunday, which was the eighth day of the war between Israel and Hamas. The ongoing war was widely discussed in the meeting. The FM said, “No one can guarantee control of the situation and the non-expansion of the conflicts”
The FM also added, “Those who are interested in preventing the scope of war and crisis from expanding need to prevent the current barbaric attack.” Further, the FM criticized America for backing Israel by sending two warships, military aid, and ammunition to Israel in a bid to prevent Iran and Hezbollah, a terrorist group from Lebanon, from joining.
The Foreign Minister meets the leader of the Hamas
On Saturday, during the FM’s meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, Amir-Abdollahian, called on Israel to immediately stop its attacks on Gaza, threatening that the war might expand further if Hezbollah joined the battle, which would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.” The meeting was attended by some other members in Doha, Qatar.
Earlier, Iran expressed their support to the terrorist group for the October 7 surprise attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,300 people including, civilians such as infants, children, women, and many soldiers, wounding 3,400. According to the IDF, 126-150 civilians have been abducted to Gaza. Among the abducted Israelis, many are infants, children, and women.
Iran warns the US
Iran warned the US, which supports and stands shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with Israel. The Foreign Minister said that the US will suffer “significant damages” if the war in Gaza escalates and spirals into bigger conflict. Both the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, which supplies the groups with weapons.
Amir-Abdollahian said, “We have conveyed our message to the Zionist regime through its allies that if they do not cease their atrocities in Gaza, Iran cannot simply remain an observer.” He also added, “If the scope of war expands, significant damages will also be inflicted upon America.” The warning was made to stop the bombardment of Gaza by Israel.
The US and Israel don’t want the war to spread any further. At the moment, Israel and Hamas are at war, and with Hezbollah firing rockets daily, a second front will be opened. If that happens, Israel will be fighting on two fronts. Iran could rope in to fight Israel. There are already two US warships in the Mediterranean Sea to keep Hezbollah and Iran from spreading the war.
