Fears of war on two fronts as Israeli forces mass near Gaza

As huge concentrations of Israeli troops took position along the Gaza border, ready for a ground invasion, exchanges of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hizbullah group in south Lebanon intensified on Sunday, raising fears of war on two fronts.

One Israeli resident was killed on the northern border and the Israeli army said dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, nine of which crossed into Israeli territory; five were intercepted by air defence systems, while the rest landed in unpopulated areas. In retaliation, Israeli fighter jets struck Hizbullah military outposts in southern Lebanon.

The exchanges came as Israel continued preparations for a ground invasion of Gaza in the wake of the attack by Hamas, the militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, just over a week ago that killed 1,400 people in Israel.

Nearly 2,500 people have been killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza that followed the Hamas attacks, while residents of the strip have been streaming south since Israel ordered 1.1 million civilians – nearly half of Gaza’s population – to leave the northern part of the densely populated enclave, including Gaza City. Israel claims more than 600,000 had left by Sunday evening.

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Hamas units based in south Lebanon claimed responsibility for the cross-border fire but Israel holds the Shia militant group Hizbullah responsible for all infringements on the border.

“We have no interest in a war in the north, we don’t want to escalate the situation,” Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said. “If Hizbullah chooses the path of war, it will pay a very heavy price but, if it restrains itself, we’ll respect the situation and keep things the way they are, despite shooting from both sides.”

Both Iran and Hizbullah officials have warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza could escalate conflicts across the Middle East.

“No one can guarantee the control of the situation and the non-expansion of the conflicts,” Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said on Sunday after talks with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

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Throughout Sunday, Israeli aircraft continued pounding Gaza and militants fired rockets at southern and central Israel.

Israel said it was renewing water supplies to the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, ending a six-day siege, in what appeared to be another way of pressuring the residents to flee from the north.

Egypt has so far resisted pressure to open the Rafah crossing at the southern tip of the strip for Gaza’s refugees. Cairo said the expulsion of so many Palestinians from their homes would be in breach of international law, and a national security risk for Egypt that is liable to bankrupt the country’s ailing economy.

Hamas political bureau director Ismail Haniya said the Palestinians would not leave Gaza for Egypt. “Our decision is to remain on our land,” he said, although he himself resides abroad.

Hamas accused Israel of deliberately shelling a convoy of residents fleeing south, killing 70 people. Israel said the military did not fire at the area in question when the explosion took place.

Israel accused Hamas of using the residents as human shields and erecting roadblocks in an effort to prevent people leaving Gaza City and the surrounding refugee camps.