Battles raged across Gaza on Sunday as Israel indicated it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat the territory's Hamas rulers, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a cease-fire was fading. Israel faces international outrage after its military offensive, with diplomatic support and arms from close ally the US, has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. About 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where UN agencies say there is no safe place to flee, the AP reports. Israel launched its air and ground offensive after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and other militants killed 1,200 of its people and captured around 240.
With little aid allowed in, Palestinians face severe shortages of food, water, and other basic goods. Some observers worry that Palestinians will be forced out of Gaza altogether. "Expect public order to completely break down soon, and an even worse situation could unfold including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a forum in Qatar, a key intermediary. Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesman, called allegations of mass displacement from Gaza "outrageous and false." Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, told the forum that mediation efforts will continue to stop the war and have all hostages released but that "unfortunately, we are not seeing the same willingness that we had seen in the weeks before."
Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Israel's Channel 12 TV that the US has set no deadline for Israel to achieve its goals. "The evaluation that this can't be measured in weeks is correct, and I'm not sure it can be measured in months," he said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that as far as the duration and the conduct of the fighting, "these are decisions for Israel to make." Appearing on ABC, he added, "When it comes to a cease-fire in this moment, with Hamas still alive, still intact ... that would simply perpetuate the problem."
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