JERUSALEM - The first American aircraft carrying ammunition arrived in Israel on Tuesday night to help the country in its ongoing conflict with Gaza's ruling faction, Hamas, and militants in Lebanon, Israel's military said.

The plane landed at the Nevatim Airbase in Israel's southern Negev Desert, carrying "advanced ammunition," Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

Also on Tuesday, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea "in order to deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen this war," the US Central Command said in a statement.

JERUSALEM - Israel's army said Tuesday that it holds about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants found in Israel on the fourth day of unprecedented battles with Hamas.

"Approximately 1,500 bodies of Hamas (militants) were found in Israel around the Gaza Strip," Richard Hecht, Israeli Defence Forces's international spokesperson said in a briefing to reporters.

Hecht said security forces had "more or less restored control" over the area of the security fence around Gaza, which was breached on Saturday by Hamas militants. He added that 35 battalions were deployed in the area around the coastal Palestinian enclave.

The evacuation of residents of communities adjacent to the border had been "nearly completed," he added.

At least 900 people have been killed in Israel, while about 130 civilians and soldiers are being held hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli state media and armed groups in the enclave.

UNITED NATIONS -- More than 123,000 people have been internally displaced in Gaza as a result of ongoing Israeli attacks, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday.

Israeli airstrikes and shelling have hit houses and apartment buildings, with four large residential towers in Gaza City destroyed. Six healthcare workers have been killed and four others injured, with seven healthcare facilities and nine ambulances damaged, said the office.

Damage to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities has undermined services to more than 400,000 people in Gaza. The Gaza Power Plant is now the only source of electricity and could run out of fuel within days, it warned.

The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimates that more than half of those displaced are sheltering in dozens of schools. UNRWA has designated emergency shelters to host them and provide critical aid, said the office.

Cash assistance is also urgently needed for both displaced people and host communities in Gaza. Humanitarian partners are working to provide dignity kits and psychosocial support for affected families, it added.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distributing food for up to 100,000 internally displaced people in Gaza, who are seeking refuge in UNRWA shelters, with fresh bread and canned food, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In the next few days, the WFP plans on starting to roll out assistance to up to 800,000 people with food and cash assistance as the situation develops, provided the necessary funding is made available. The WFP needs 16.8 million U.S. dollars to reach 805,000 people in the next month, he told a daily press briefing.

The aid was from pre-positioned supplies, which are not endless. At some point in the not-too-distant future, the world body will run out of supplies unless more can come in, warned the spokesman.

Guterres on Monday said he was deeply distressed by Israel's announcement that it would initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, with nothing allowed in - no electricity, food, or fuel.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire even before the sudden escalation of violence over the weekend. Now it would only deteriorate exponentially, he warned at a press conference.

Medical equipment, food, fuel and other humanitarian supplies are desperately needed, along with access for humanitarian personnel. Relief and entry of essential supplies into Gaza must be facilitated, he said. "I urge all sides and the relevant parties to allow United Nations access to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians trapped and helpless in the Gaza Strip. I appeal to the international community to mobilize immediate humanitarian support for this effort."

An UNRWA school sheltering displaced families was directly hit over the weekend. The school was severely damaged and was housing about 225 people, though no casualties were recorded among the displaced, said Dujarric, the spokesman.

All UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip are closed. More than 300,000 students are impacted, he said.

Dujarric said UNRWA has 13,000 staff members in Gaza, the vast majority of them are national staff.

The UNRWA staff are not able to leave Gaza. They are focused on trying to do whatever they can to help the population within their mandate, said the spokesman.

JERUSALEM/GAZA -- Israel intensified its air strikes in Gaza on Monday and imposed a "complete siege" on the Palestinian enclave on the third day of conflict following the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement's (Hamas) Saturday surprise attack on Israel.

"I've ordered to move (from defense) to a massive offensive on a scale never seen before," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a live address to the nation on Monday.

In the morning, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters in a briefing that the military has regained control over all the communities in southern Israel, which were stormed by Hamas militants on Saturday after they broke out through the security fence between Israel and Gaza.

Later, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, said that Israel's raids on the Gaza Strip led to the killing of 4 Israeli prisoners and their captive members.

At night, Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz announced that "all the water supply pipes from Israel to the Gaza Strip have been disconnected." Israel also halted the passage of goods, electricity and food to the Strip.

"Israeli air strikes hit 86 towers in the Gaza Strip and this led to various damages," told an official in Palestine Telecommunications (Paltel) Company.

In response to the Israeli threats, Hamas' military wing's spokesman Abu Obeida warned in an audio statement that "any targeting of our people in their homes without prior warning will be regrettably faced with the execution of one the hostages of civilians we are holding."

Gaza's militant groups said about 130 hostages were in Gaza, including dozens with dual citizenship. Thailand confirmed that 11 Thai nationals are held captive by Hamas.

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a briefing that the hostages include toddlers, women and elderly, adding that his country was committed to bringing the hostages back home.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported on Monday that at least 900 were killed by Hamas militants in Israel, while the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza rose to 687, including 140 children and 105 women, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on Monday that "more than 17,500 families, including more than 123,538 people, were displaced."

In this regard, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed during a phone call with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the importance of delivering relief and medical aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip to prevent a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza.

Guterres said that the United Nations is making efforts to provide urgent humanitarian relief aid to the residents there, according to the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA).

On Monday, Netanyahu also said the Israeli military was enhancing security along the northern border, where militants in southern Lebanon had fired mortar shells toward northern Israel on Monday afternoon.

Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Palestine's Islamic Jihad Movement, claimed "its responsibility" for the operation carried out on the border with occupied Palestine, injuring seven Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based armed group and political party, said it attacked on Monday evening the Israeli Pranit and Avivim barracks in northern Israel with guided missiles and mortar shells, in response to the killing of three of its members by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon earlier in the day.

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Sunday was urged to push for the two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict with a sense of urgency.

Saddened by the numerous civilian casualties, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, called for urgent efforts to work for the two-state solution in which an independent State of Palestine coexists with Israel.

It should be pointed out that the root cause of the Middle East crisis is that the peace process has deviated from the right tracks, with constant erosion into the basis of the two-state solution and little adequate implementation of related UN resolutions, he told the meeting.

The international community and the related parties should break from the vicious cycle and go beyond a piecemeal approach to crisis management.

Zhang said China is gravely concerned about the clashes between Israel and armed groups in Gaza in the Palestinian territory. China is also worried about the prospects of further escalation, and calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid further escalation and to agree on a cease-fire, according to the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan told reporters before the meeting that Hamas had carried out a surprise "barbaric pogrom" and accused the militant group of "blatant, documented war crimes".

Riyad Mansour, Palestine's ambassador to the United Nations, said before the consultations that Israel's impunity and international inaction are to blame for the current situation.

"Regrettably, history, for some media and politicians, starts when Israelis are killed," he said in a statement. "This is not a time to let Israel double down on its terrible choices. This is a time to tell Israel it needs to change course, that there is a path to peace where neither Palestinians nor Israelis are killed."

The council held emergency consultations behind closed doors following renewed clashes, without coming up with any document after the consultations.

In a statement on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that violence cannot provide a solution to the conflict, and that only through negotiation leading to a two-state solution can peace be achieved.

Zhang said China supports the UN chief in pushing for negotiations and cooling down the tension and backs the Security Council in taking measures to realize a cease-fire and resume peace.

The UN said on Monday that more than 123,000 people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the conflict between Palestinian militants and Israel.

"Over 123,538 people, have been internally displaced in Gaza, mostly due to fear, protection concerns and the destruction of their homes," said the UN's humanitarian agency.

XINHUA—CHINA DAILY

Oil prices surged to $89 a barrel on Monday following the conflict between Israel and Palestine that has escalated tensions across the Middle East and sparked concerns over potential disruptions to crude supplies from leading oil producers.

Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, saw an initial surge of 5.2 percent in early trading in Asia, before settling to a 2.7 percent increase at $86.87, still below last week's average levels and the annual high of $97.69 a barrel on Sept 28.

Nearly 1,400 casualties have been reported since the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas commenced at the weekend, including around 800 Israelis and 560 Gaza residents.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war and promised "mighty vengeance", while Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi lauded Hamas for its "victory".

While Israel is not an oil producer, the conflict could bring regional uncertainty, and threatens to embroil both the United States and Iran.

Iran has emerged as a significant global supplier of additional crude oil in the last year, easing constricting markets. If the US were to expand sanctions on Teheran it could constrain shipments.

Pierre Andurand, an energy trading specialist and hedge fund manager, wrote in a social media post that while there was no imminent threat to supplies, the market could contract.

"Over the past six months, we have seen a very large increase in Iranian supply due to weak enforcement of sanctions," he said. "There is a good probability that the US administration will start enforcing those sanctions on Iranian oil exports more tightly."

Marcus Garvey, head of commodities strategy at Macquarie Group Ltd, told Bloomberg TV there may not necessarily be any severe interruption to supplies.

"At this stage, the price response that you've seen is quite understandable and proportionate, just in terms of putting a bit of risk premium in," he said. "People will draw parallels to the early 1970s'Yom Kippur War that's probably, with the following embargo, your extreme case. It's quite plausible you get no meaningful disruption."

The Financial Times reported the conflict might hinder US attempts to negotiate a deal with Saudi Arabia for normalizing relations with Israel, potentially impacting the kingdom's readiness to increase its oil production.

"The Israeli government is vowing an unprecedented response and it is hard to envision how Saudi normalization talks can run on a parallel track to a ferocious military counteroffensive," said Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

The shekel, Israel's currency, plunged to its lowest value since early 2016, falling to 3.92 against the dollar after the conflict erupted.

Death toll from clashes nears 1,400 as Israel declares 'state of war' with Hamas

As both battles and death toll escalated between Hamas and Israel, Arab leaders and the international community are moving in to ease tensions, while analysts urged parties not to lose sight of efforts to find a comprehensive and just solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Even as the Israeli parliament greenlighted the administration's declaration of "a state of war" with Hamas, the current conflict, which claimed lives and inflicted injuries on both sides, focused on Israel and Hamas but divided the world further.

After getting caught off guard on Saturday, the Israeli army responded fast and deadly and continued its extensive airstrikes on targets in Gaza while moving to clear off Hamas militants from positions, with death tolls from both sides nearing 1,400.

Zaka, an Israeli rescue service, said in a statement that it collected remains of about 260 young women and men who were partying at the Nova festival, an outdoor music event in a rural farmland area near the Gaza-Israel fence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to "change the Middle East" in Israel's fight with Hamas.

"What Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible ... we are going to change the Middle East," Netanyahu told officials visiting Jerusalem.

According to the official "X" account, formerly Twitter, of the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, its minister Riyad Al-Maliki was in communication with his Arab counterparts to provide the required political support "in the face of the continuing Israeli aggression against the people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip".

The Palestinian Authority submitted a memorandum on Sunday, calling for an emergency Arab League meeting at the foreign ministerial level, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The date for the emergency Arab ministerial meeting is supposed to be set within the next two days at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reportedly had phone conversations with Palestinian resistance leaders over the latest developments in Palestine, IRNA reported.

There are accusations that Iran was involved in the planning of Hamas' attack. But Iran's mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that Teheran was not involved.

A statement from Morocco's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting came under the instructions of King Mohammed VI and sought to coordinate and consult on the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip and the outbreak of military actions targeting civilians, as well as to explore ways to halt the dangerous escalation.

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The two discussed the dangers of the continuing military escalation in Gaza and its surroundings, and the importance of working to defuse tensions.

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said on Monday that regional governments did not want the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to spill out into other parts of the region.

European Union Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said on Monday the bloc is suspending "all payments immediately" to the Palestinians because of the attacks.

The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords signed in 2020, released a statement late on Sunday, stressing that the attacks by Palestinian resistance group Hamas against Israeli towns and villages near the Gaza Strip were "a serious and grave escalation" and that it was "appalled by reports that Israeli civilians have been abducted as hostages from their homes".

Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, reiterated his call to international institutions to intervene forcefully and promptly to revive efforts to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights in establishing their state on the 1967 territories with East Jerusalem as its capital, in order to achieve the desired peace and stability in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Protection for civilians

"Civilians on both sides must always have full protection under international humanitarian law and must never be a target of conflict," the statement read, adding that the UAE remains in close contact with its partners to return to negotiations within the parameters of the two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis, "who deserve to live in peace and dignity".

Given the hostilities affecting civilians, Kamaruzaman bin Yusoff, a Middle East analyst and former dean of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Faculty of Islamic Civilization, told China Daily that "we should not consider the current escalation of war and hostilities between the Palestinian people and the Israeli government as the first and the last".

He said these are considered "as part of the long processes of attacks, conflicts, hostilities between the two parties".

Hamas said its offensive by land, air and sea was in response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque as well as Israeli atrocities against Palestinians over the decades.

Israeli analysts say Hamas has carefully planned the military operation. Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, told Xinhua News Agency that Hamas' preparation for the military operations is "estimated to have taken several months".

The latest assault occurred around the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war, when Israel was attacked on Oct 6, 1973, one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar.

Jasim Husain, a Gulf analyst and former member of Bahrain's parliament, told China Daily that the conflict "is now being termed Hamas-Israel conflict", which does not include the whole resistance movement.

"This conflict could have some major repercussions on the peace process in the region," he added.

Belal Alakhras, a political analyst and Palestinian researcher at the University of Malaya in Malaysia, told China Daily that considering the significant impact of the Palestinian issue on the Middle East and its resonance on the global agenda, it is crucial for nations and major powers to "explore alternative approaches".

JERUSALEM - Israel denied on Monday that negotiations on the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip have been taking place, according to an Israeli government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"No negotiations have been taking place," the official said.

Earlier on Monday, a Hamas official said the Gaza-ruling group has held talks with Qatari mediators over the release of Israeli women in exchange for Palestinian female prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Hamas movement, along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller armed group that operates in Palestinian territories, claimed to have taken approximately 130 people from Israel as hostages.

The hostages were captured by Hamas militants who carried out a surprise attack on communities in southern Israel on Saturday.

Videos on social media showed that among the hostages were women, children, and elderly individuals. The Israeli military confirmed that both civilians and soldiers had been kidnapped by Hamas militants but did not provide the exact number.

In a statement published on its website, the Thai Foreign Ministry confirmed that 11 Thai nationals are being held captive by Hamas.

JERUSALEM - Israeli military confirmed Monday that several suspects have infiltrated into the northern region from Lebanon, urging local residents to remain at home.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops continued scanning the area. It added that the gunmen who breached the north border have been killed.

Earlier in the day, air raid sirens were activated in the border area with Lebanon amid artillery shelling and gunshots, according to Israeli media.

The fresh military conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has left over 1,100 dead and thousands injured. Those affected included many civilians on both sides. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war against Hamas.

The crisis, particularly the significant number of casualties and injuries, has undoubtedly affected Israel's societal security. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu faces scrutiny, particularly its intelligence and security apparatus. Questions arise about the effectiveness of Israel's past policies, which involved periodic confrontations with Hamas every few years. Israel's hardline right-wing stance and its continuity are also subjects for consideration in Israeli society. During the crisis, internal unity in Israel may strengthen, and the coalition government is unlikely to dissolve in the short term, as no one else is perceived as being tougher than Netanyahu.

This conflict has undoubtedly had a significant impact on stability in the Middle East. Hamas, originating in the south just as the Hezbollah stems from the north, launched a dual-front attack on Israel. Israel has not suffered such a severe loss in decades, prompting them to retaliate aggressively. This will heighten tensions in the Gaza Strip, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis there.

It has also drawn the attention of major powers and regional countries for the time being. However, it should not be exaggerated as a conflict rising to the level of a regional war involving Israel and its neighboring countries.

Typically, conflicts in the Israeli-Palestinian context are addressed through mechanisms such as UN Security Council resolutions, diplomatic negotiations, and international pressure. Additionally, countries like Egypt and Jordan often mediate and facilitate discussions, with the possibility of the involvement of the United States, Europe, and even China through diplomatic channels. However, given the ongoing hostilities from both sides, these mediation mechanisms may not yield immediate results.

The opportunity for peace in the Middle East lies in recognizing that the Palestinian issue remains at the core of the region's problems. Without a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, lasting and comprehensive security and peace in the Middle East will remain elusive. It's essential not to overlook the Palestinian problem, even as Israel normalizes relations with an increasing number of regional countries. Furthermore, the inability to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue could impact the recent reconciliation process between Saudi Arabia and Iran and, in turn, affect more countries' normalization of relations with Israel.

Strictly speaking, the conflict between Hamas and Israel is unlikely to have a lasting impact on relations between the major regional countries, as it remains fundamentally a Palestinian issue. These countries, including Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, have already expressed their positions. The situation is expected to calm down within days, or a few weeks. In the broader Middle East context, dialogue, reconciliation, and cooperation are prevailing trends that are unlikely to reverse in the short term.

Ma Xiaolin is the dean of and a professor at the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University. This is an excerpt of his interview with China Daily's Liu Jianna.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.

WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the Pentagon is sending warships and fighter jets to the Eastern Mediterranean region in a show of support for Israel amid escalating conflicts between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters.

Austin said in a statement that he had directed the movement of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which consists of an aircraft carrier, a guided missile cruiser and four guided missile destroyers, to the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Pentagon had also "taken steps to augment US Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region," the defense chief said.

He added that the US government "will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions."

The first round of US security assistance to Israel "will begin moving" on Sunday "and arriving in the coming days," Austin said.

The Pentagon's decision came as conflict between Israel and Palestine escalated drastically Saturday after Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel, killing at least 600 Israelis as of Sunday, according to Israeli media reports citing government officials.

Israel's military responded with airstrikes in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, resulting in at least 313 Palestinian deaths, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

Also on Sunday, Israel's Security Cabinet officially announced that "Israel was at war," saying in a statement that it will carry out "meaningful military operations" in Gaza in the next days.

GAZA - Qatar is mediating an urgent prisoner swap between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel, a Hamas source said on Sunday.

"With US support, Qatar is seeking to accomplish an urgent agreement that would lead to the release of Israeli women captured by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli prisons," the source, who wished to remain anonymous, told Xinhua.

Hamas has informed Qatar that it would agree to the prisoner swap if all the 36 Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli jails would be released, according to the source.

Hamas on Saturday launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to launch retaliatory strikes on Gaza.

During the attack, Hamas militants broke through the security fence that separates the Gaza Strip from Israel and stormed nearby communities, killing and capturing Israelis, including women.

The Gaza-based Health Ministry's latest update on Sunday said the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 413, with more than 2,300 others injured, while Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported the death toll in Israel has reached 700.

JERUSALEM - The death toll of Hamas' unprecedented surprise attack on Israel rose to 700, Israeli media reported on Sunday night, the second day of the deadly war, while hundreds of others were reported dead in the Gaza Strip.

Citing government officials, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that at least 700 people were killed in Hamas' combined attack, in which militants from the Islamist group broke through the security fence and stormed nearby communities, killing scores and capturing dozens of civilians and soldiers. Simultaneously, Gaza militants fired some 3,000 rockets at southern and central Israel.

On Sunday night, the Israeli Health Ministry updated the number of injuries in Israeli hospitals, reporting that at least 2,243 were wounded, including 22 in critical condition.

In southern Israel, the Israeli military still has not taken full control and Hamas militants were in several communities near Gaza continuing gunfights with Israeli soldiers.

The IDF Home Front Command called residents in the south to stay at home.

Meanwhile in Gaza, at least 370 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes, and 2,200 others were injured, according to a statement released by the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

China and the international community have called for an end to the escalating Israel-Palestine conflict, which left more than 500 people dead and thousands injured since Saturday.

As gun battles raged on Sunday between Israeli forces and Hamas militants a day after the Islamist group launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country was "in a state of war". He vowed to reduce to "rubble" Hamas hideouts in Gaza.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held an emergency meeting attended by senior officials, where he emphasized the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves against the "terror of settlers and occupation troops", Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

China said on Sunday that it is "deeply concerned" over the current escalation of violence between Palestine and Israel, and called on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians.

The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent state of Palestine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

It called on the international community to act with greater urgency, step up input into the Palestine question, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and find a way to bring about enduring peace.

The Arab League and Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait, have expressed their sympathies over the casualties and called for an immediate cease-fire. They were joined by Indonesia, Turkiye, Russia and Colombia, among others. The United States, some European countries and India backed Israel.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit slammed Israel's violent policies against the Palestinians as "a time bomb," calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Analysts said that sustainable peace cannot be realized unless an independent state of Palestine is established, as Israeli and Palestinian rights will otherwise continue to be ignored.

Ayman Yousef, a professor of international relations at Arab American University, said the many factors that triggered this sudden escalation of tensions in Gaza include Israel's "daily killing of Palestinians in the West Bank", Israeli settlement activities in occupied territories and Israeli settlers entering the holy mosque in Jerusalem on an almost daily basis.

Dina Yulianti Sulaeman, director of the Indonesia Center for Middle East Studies, said the complete context of the violence should be examined when not only Hamas, but also other rebel groups were joining these attacks.

"International law gives the Palestinian people the right to resist. As long as the fundamental rights of the Palestinians, including independence, are not fulfilled, they will continue to fight," Sulaeman said.

Israeli military confirmed that Palestinian militants had launched nearly 3,000 rockets against Israel, and dozens of militants had infiltrated southern Israel, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Hamas claimed to have captured a number of Israeli officers and soldiers, and that they were being held in "safe places".

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported at least 313 dead and nearly 2,000 wounded in the recent spate of Israeli strikes, while Israel's military said at least 26 soldiers have died in the Hamas attack, according to Al-Jazeera TV. Local media have reported over 250 Israeli casualties.

Muslim Imran, director of the Asia Middle East Center for Research and Dialogue, pointed out Israel's "big failure of embarrassing proportions" and said "the moral impact on the Palestinian spirit to fight Israel will be huge".

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com

BEIRUT - Dozens of rockets and heavy artillery shells were fired toward Israeli positions on the Shebaa Farms, a disputed strip of land at the intersection of the Lebanese-Syrian border and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on early Sunday morning, Lebanese army intelligence sources confirmed to Xinhua.

Sounds of huge explosions have been echoing throughout the villages of Al-Arqub and Hasbaya since the early morning, and centers in Ruwaisat Al-Alam and a radar site were subjected to heavy artillery shelling, according to the state-run Lebanese National New Agency (NNA).

The Israeli military responded with artillery fire toward southern Lebanon, the NNA reported.

Residents of Kfar Shouba, a Lebanese village along the border, said they could hear sounds of shelling around them, and estimated several dozen Israeli shells had hit the area, local news outlet L'Orient Today reported.

China called on Sunday on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation as fierce conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip has caused massive casualties on both sides.

China is deeply concerned over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The recurrence of the conflict shows once again that the protracted standstill of the peace process cannot last, a spokesperson said in the statement.

The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine, the spokesperson stressed.

The spokesperson called on the international community to act with greater urgency, step up input into the Palestine question, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and find a way to bring about enduring peace.

China will continue to work relentlessly with the international community toward that end, the spokesperson added.

The Israeli military confirmed on Saturday that Palestinian militants had launched almost 3,000 rockets against Israel, and dozens of militants had infiltrated southern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a national address that Israel was "in a state of war" and ordered "a full mobilization of reserves."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held an emergency meeting with key officials on the same day, emphasizing the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves against Israeli forces and settlers.

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to retaliate firmly against the rocket and infiltrating attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which has killed at least 200 Israelis and left over 1,400 wounded.

In a televised address on Saturday evening, the Israeli leader described the day as a grim moment in Israeli history and said his country would "take revenge" and "defeat" the Hamas militants.

"The Israel Defense Forces will immediately use all of its power in order to destroy Hamas' capabilities," he added.

Throughout the day, Netanyahu engaged in extensive consultations as his government weighed the Israeli response.

In a surprise attack, almost 3,000 rockets were fired into Israel by Hamas since the early hours of Saturday. Hamas also held some Israeli civilians and soldiers as hostages, as confirmed by Israeli officials.

In response, the Israeli military conducted tens of airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip over the day.

"This war will take time, it will be difficult, and there are challenging days still ahead of us," he warned Israeli citizens.

The ongoing conflict has led to significant casualties on both sides.

Palestinian health authorities in Gaza reported that at least 232 Palestinians were killed and 1,697 injured in the enclave due to Israeli airstrikes. Meanwhile, the death toll among Israelis has crossed 200, marking it as the deadliest attack in Israel in decades.

GAZA - The death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 232, with 1,697 others injured, according to an update from the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza on Saturday.

The airstrikes were carried out in response to an earlier rocket attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The Israeli military confirmed that Palestinian militants had launched almost 3,000 rockets against Israel, and dozens of militants had infiltrated southern Israel.

Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, claimed to have captured a number of Israeli officers and soldiers, adding that they are being held in "safe places."

In response, the Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas sites and headquarters with dozens of warplanes across various regions of the coastal enclave. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz also said his country would cut off the power supply to the Palestinian enclave in the wake of the Hamas attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a national address that Israel was "in a state of war" and ordered "a full mobilization of reserves."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held an emergency meeting with key officials, emphasizing the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves against Israeli forces and settlers.

GAZA/JERUSALEM - Tens of rocket barrages were launched Saturday morning by the armed factions from Gaza into the Israeli cities for the first time since May last year, Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses told Xinhua.

They said that a series of explosions were heard near the separation fence as the Iron Dome system attempted to intercept them.

Locals shared some videos on their Facebook accounts, showing the launching of a number of rockets from various areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army said in a press statement that rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip in the last half hour, calling on the Israeli public in the south and center of the country to remain near the protected areas and comply with the orders of the Home Front Command.

Mohammed al-Deif, a leader from Hamas, announced on Saturday the beginning of a new military operation the "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel.

He made the declaration through a brief recorded statement.

JERUSALEM - At least 100 Israelis were killed during Hamas rocket and infiltrating attack since Saturday morning, local media reported, citing Israeli Health Ministry, adding that over 900 were injured.