Poll finds 49% Israelis want to hold off on Gaza invasion
Almost half of Israelis support holding off on an invasion of the Gaza Strip, a poll published on Friday has found.
The results could show public reluctance to escalate the offensive against Hamas, as Israeli leaders ready their forces.
Israel vowed to annihilate the Palestinian militant group after it killed 1,400 people in a surprise assault on 7 October.
It unleashed a relentless bombardment on Gaza, which so far has killed more than 7,000 Palestinians, and stepped up tank and infantry raids on the besieged enclave.
In the poll published by the Maariv newspaper, 29% of Israelis agreed the military should launch a large-scale ground offensive immediately, 49% said “it would be better to wait”, while 22% were undecided.
Its poll from 19 October found that 65% supported a major ground offensive.
US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria as regional tensions soar
Washington launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said.
The strikes come in retaliation for drone and missile attacks against US bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.
The US wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting it to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel’s war against Hamas.
Yet, it is also working to avoid inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict, as violence spills over into southern Lebanon, Egypt and Syria.
EU calls for ‘humanitarian corridors and pauses’ in Gaza
After hours of wrangling, European Union leaders on Thursday called for “humanitarian corridors and pauses” to ensure aid reaches the besieged Gaza Strip during a summit in Brussels.
In a joint declaration, the 27 heads of state expressed their “gravest concern for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
They called “for continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs.”
“The aid needs to reach Gaza, unhindered and quickly,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in the early hours of Friday morning.
She announced that the bloc would send two more flights of humanitarian cargo to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Friday and sign a €40 million contract with UN agencies as part of its tripling of humanitarian aid.
The breakthrough comes after uncoordinated, confusing and, at times, contradictory messages sent by high-ranking EU officials, both in person and on social media.
Von der Leyen earlier this month attracted a great deal of attention following her strong messages of support for Israel and her closely followed trip to the country on Friday, during which she visited areas destroyed by Hamas and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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