• Source:REUTERS
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Israel continued its offensive against Gaza early on Monday morning as it bombarded the central and northern part of the strip amid its war with Palestinian group Hamas. Further, several people were killed in a strike on a house located near the Jabalis refugee camp in northern part of Gaza. The conflict has claimed the lives of over 4,700 Palestinians while leaving over 15,000 wounded since a war broke out on October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry's statement on Sunday. In Israel, over 1,400 people were killed after the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 while 212 were taken into Gaza as hostages.

Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also carried out overnight strikes against its northern neighbour, Lebanon, as the country also fights the Iran-backed Hezbollah group alongside its war with Hamas. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has come out in support of Hamas, has clashed with Israeli forces on a near-daily basis. The clashes have turned out to be the deadliest escalation of violence between the two sides since the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006.

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Here are the top developments as Israel-Hamas war fuels a bigger conflict in the Middle-east:

1. Israeli aircraft hit the southern part of Lebanon over night. Two Hezbollah cells in Lebanon were struck early on Monday morning. According to the Israel military, they were planning to launch anti-tank missiles and rockets toward Israel. Israel's military further said it hit other Hezbollah targets, which included a compound and an observation post. Hezbollah meanwhile reported the death of one of its fighters on Monday.

2. Israel PM Netanyahu convened a meeting with the country's top generals and war cabinet to take stock of the conflict. He also held talks with US President Joe Biden, and the leaders of France, Spain and the Netherlands, who unanimously voiced their support to Israel and backed its "right to defend itself".

A Palestinian on a wheelchair passes by ruins of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip October 9, 2023. (Image: REUTERS)

3. Biden also spoke to Pope Francis and the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy. The world leaders also came to a consensus on getting aid into Gaza. They collectively called for preventing the conflict from spreading and adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.

4. Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh meanwhile held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a call late on Sunday. The two leaders discussed the means of stopping Israel's "brutal crimes" in Gaza, Hamas said in a statement.

5. Israel has been gearing up for a ground incursion of Gaza with the aim to destroy Hamas. It has deployed tanks and troops in large numbers near the fenced border around Gaza.

6. The Israel-Hamas war has also triggered fears of a wider Middle East conflict. As the concerns rose over the weekend, Washington announced a new deployment of advanced air defenses. The Pentagon has already dispatched a significant amount of naval power to the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, support ships and about 2,000 Marines, to help deter attacks by Iran-affiliated forces.

7. In neighbouring Syria, Israeli missiles hit Damascus and Aleppo international airports early on Sunday, putting both out of service and killing two workers, Syrian state media said.

8. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the international community to create "a united front" to stop Israel's attacks in Gaza and allow desperately needed aid which has only begun to trickle in.

9. A second convoy of 14 aid trucks entered the Rafah crossing to the besieged Gaza Strip on Sunday night, and US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu affirmed in a call "there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza," the White House said.

10. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will visit Israel on Monday and French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Tuesday.

(With inputs from agencies)