Israel-Gaza: Iran Warns Israel to “Stop Before It’s Too Late”

Iran has warned Israel to immediately halt its “war crimes” against Gaza, or it could face “a huge earthquake” of resistance, AP reports.

Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle, and that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.”

Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has taken all the scenarios of a war into consideration and Israel should stop its attacks on Gaza as soon as possible.

More than 320 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours, including many women and children in Israeli air raids on convoys fleeing Gaza City, according to Palestinian health officials.

The rising toll comes as Israel bomb attacks in Gaza continue a day after telling 1.1 million residents to head south ahead of a looming ground offensive following Hamas’ attack in Israel last week.

At least 2,215 Palestinians have been killed and 8,714 wounded in Israeli air attacks on Gaza. The number of people killed in Israel has reached 1,300 with more than 3,400 wounded.

In the occupied West Bank, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the past week has topped 50. More than 1,000 have been wounded and hundreds arrested.

Israeli Troops Stand by to Attack Gaza, Hamas Warns

Israeli Troops have amassed around the Gaza Strip, “getting ready for the next stage of operations,” military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said.

The Israeli military has indicated its readiness to “expand the attack” on Gaza, saying it was planning a wide range of offensive operation, including “coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”

Hamas has told people not to leave and says roads out are unsafe. It says dozens of people had been killed in strikes on cars and trucks carrying refugees on Friday, which Reuters could not independently verify.

Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh in a televised address accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, asserting that Palestinians in the besieged enclave “will never flee.” Iran supports Hamas in the fight against Israel.

Israel says Hamas is preventing people from leaving to use them as human shields, a claim which Hamas denies.

There are 126 confirmed Israelis held captive in Gaza, an Israeli military spokesman has said. The military spokesman also said that so far, 279 Israeli soldiers have been confirmed dead.

EU to Triple Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

The EU will triple its humanitarian aid for vulnerable civilians in Gaza and the wider region, announced European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen in a post on X.

“We will redouble efforts to ensure that this support reaches those who need it,” said von der Leyen, after speaking today with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as part of her ongoing contacts with regional leaders, AMNA reports.

“The Commission will immediately increase the current humanitarian aid budget earmarked for Gaza by €50 million,” the EC President said. “This will bring the total to more than €75 million.”

“We will continue our close cooperation with the UN and its agencies to ensure that this aid reaches those in need in the Gaza Strip. The Commission supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists, in full respect of international humanitarian law,” she added.

For his part, the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Jans Lenarcic, said, “This tripling of EU humanitarian aid will help ensure that civilians in Gaza can get the basic necessities they need. It is important to ensure safe and unfettered access to humanitarian aid.”