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Battles raged in southern Gaza on Sunday while the U.S. and the Iran-backed groups traded strikes in the Middle East.
Nearly four months into the conflict triggered by the Hamas' cross-border rampage in Israel, there is persistent fighting in Gaza's densely populated northern enclave as well as Khan Younis in the south.
Palestinians walk between the rubble in Gaza, February 3, 2024. /CFP Palestinians walk between the rubble in Gaza, February 3, 2024. /CFP
The prospect of a push into Rafah has piled pressure on hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled their homes and are sheltering there. It also worries Cairo, which has said it will not admit any influx of Palestinian refugees in what it describes a bid to prevent any permanent dispossession.
An Israeli official told Reuters, however, that the military would coordinate with Egypt, and seek ways of evacuating most of the displaced people northward, ahead of any Rafah ground sweep.
Gaza health authorities said on Sunday more than 27,300 Palestinians have been confirmed killed since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. They say that 70 percent of those killed have been women and children. Thousands more are feared lost amid the ruins.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to step up international efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli "aggression" against the Palestinian people.
More than 130 hostages are still in Gaza, and their possible release by Hamas is among issues under discussion in Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated negotiations, that are backed by the United States, to secure a truce.
Hamas has demanded an end to the war. Israel rules that out, but is open to a temporary truce.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in a meeting on Sunday that Sisi's office said emphasized Egypt's collaborative efforts to establish a ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
A screen grab captured from a video shows the U.S. began to carry out a wave of airstrikes Friday against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, February 3, 2024. /CFP A screen grab captured from a video shows the U.S. began to carry out a wave of airstrikes Friday against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, February 3, 2024. /CFP
Meanwhile, the United States intends to launch further strikes at Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, the White House national security adviser said on Sunday, after hitting Tehran-aligned factions in Iraq, Syria and Yemen over the last two days.
Tehran-backed groups declaring support for the Palestinians have entered the fray across the region: Hezbollah has fired at Israeli targets at the Lebanese-Israeli border, Iraqi militias have fired on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis have fired on shipping in the Red Sea and at Israel itself.
"We intend to take additional strikes, and additional action, to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked, when our people are killed," Jake Sullivan told NBC's Meet the Press program on Sunday.
The Pentagon has said it does not want war with Iran and does not believe Tehran wants war either.
Read more: Experts say regional tensions may escalate as U.S. strikes Syria, Iraq
(With input from agencies)