Tensions grow in the Middle East

Family members visit the memorial site for victims killed during the Nova music festival
They march to commemorate the victims of Hamas. Six months have passed since the war broke out when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 captives.
Activists hold a demonstration in New York to demand the release of hostages held by Hamas militants. On the right, protesters also carry photographs of the fatal victims
Members of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum participate in a demonstration commemorating six months of attacks on Israel by Hamas
Above and to the right, demonstrations in support of the people of Gaza. The United Nations and its partners warn of “imminent famine” for more than a million people in the Gaza Strip, which is bombed by Israel
Jakarta (Indonesia), 07/04/2024.- Muslim activists hold placards reading ‘Humanity VS Israel’ during a rally in solidarity for Palestinians in Jakarta, Indonesia, 07 April 2024. Hundreds of Protesters chanted anti-Israel slogans and urging for a cease-fire in Gaza. More than 33,000 Palestinians and over 1,450 Israelis have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), since Hamas militants launched an attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on 07 October 2023, and the Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank which followed it. (Protestas) EFE/EPA/ADI WEDA
Gaza Border (Israel), 07/04/2024.- Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint along the border with Gaza in southern Israel , 07 April 2024. Israel marks six months since the October 07 attacks, as 134 hostages are currently still being held captive in Gaza, according to the Israeli IDF. More than 33,000 Palestinians and over 1,450 Israelis have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), since Hamas militants launched an attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on 07 October 2023, and the Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank which followed it. EFE/EPA/ABIR SULTAN EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTAN
Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint along the Gaza border in southern Israel. On the left, Muslim activists hold banners reading “Humanity VS Israel” during a solidarity rally with the Palestinians in Jakarta, Indonesia
Lisbon (Portugal), 07/04/2024.- Participants attend the ‘April for Palestine’ demonstration, organized by the Platform for Solidarity with Palestine, on the day that marks six months of the armed conflict in the Gaza Strip, in Lisbon, Portugal, 07 April 2024. More than 33,000 Palestinians and over 1,450 Israelis have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), since Hamas militants launched an attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on 07 October 2023, and the Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank which followed it. (Protestas, Lisboa) EFE/EPA/MIGUEL A. LOPES

JERUSALEM (AP) — A top Iranian military adviser warned Israel yesterday that none of its embassies were safe following an attack in Syria’s capital last week blamed on Israel that killed 12 people, including two top Iranian generals. Regional tensions threaten to drag the Middle East into a broader conflict as the war in Gaza marks six months.

Israel is preparing for an Iranian response to the attack, although it has not directly acknowledged its involvement. General Rahim Safavi’s statements indicated that the attack on a diplomatic mission in Damascus could receive a similar response.

“None of the embassies of the (Israeli) regime are safe anymore,” said Safavi, military advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, quoted by the semi-official Tasnim agency.

Safavi spoke at a ceremony in Tehran in memory of the Revolutionary Guard generals who died in the attack that tore down an Iranian consular building in Damascus.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for any response.

“Whoever harms us or plans to harm us, we will harm them,” he said at a cabinet meeting.

Six months

Regional tensions are growing six months into the war, which broke out when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 captive. Israel responded with fierce bombings and an offensive in Gaza that have killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities. Another 75,886 have been injured.

The six months of war have been met with growing frustration in Israel, where anti-government protests have increased and anger is growing over what some Israelis see as government inaction to free the approximately 130 remaining hostages.

Negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages were expected to resume in Cairo yesterday.

“Humanity has been practically abandoned” in Gaza, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement.

The United Nations and its partners warn of “imminent famine” for more than a million people in the Gaza Strip as aid workers urge Israel to relax restrictions on delivering aid by land, the only way to meet rising supplies. needs while some Palestinians turn to weeds for food.

Mothers who have given birth in Gaza since the war began are especially vulnerable.

According to the Israeli government, more than 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7.

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Meeting with the Pope

Pope Francis will receive the families of some hostages of the Palestinian militia Hamas at the Vatican today, as announced yesterday by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, on an official visit to Rome.

Israel statement

“I thank the Pope for responding to the request to receive the families of the hostages to give them strength and support the return of the kidnapped people. The Pope’s support has great moral and practical weight and I am convinced that it will help them return home,” the minister celebrated in a statement.

Unconfirmed

The audience with the Pontiff, according to the Israeli source, will take place today, although the Holy See has not yet confirmed it.