TRANSCRIPT
The war between Hamas and Israel has now lasted for almost eight weeks. And the question is whether it could expand beyond Israel and Gaza.
Iran has already hinted several times that the conflict could take a larger scope. Oman, another monarchy in the Persian Gulf, seems to agree with that idea.
Its Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi has visited Tehran where he met his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Mr Albusaidi condemned what he referred to as a "brutal aggression" by Israel.
During a press conference, the Iranian Foreign Minister made it clear the conflict could expand abroad.
“Yesterday, we heard from resistance leaders that if the current situation continues, the region will enter a new phase, through resistance. A deep expansion of war in the region is absolutely imaginable.”
The conflict already has an impact in countries outside of the Muslim world.
The United Nations COP28 climate conference is now underway in the United Arab Emirates, and a rare occurence of a political protest took place.
On Sunday afternoon, more than 100 demonstrators held a pro-Palestinian protest near the Israeli pavilion.
They waved watermelon flags, which is a pro-Palestinian symbol, with some chanting, “Free Palestine.”
A woman was seen reading the names of children and elderly killed in Gaza, causing some in attendance to burst in tears.
Protests are forbidden in the authoritarian UAE, but its government agreed with the U-N that they should be allowed during COP28, giving protesters an avenue to voice their sentiment.
An unidentified protester made a speech at the protest.
“Because we have seen how the mask has slipped. We have seen how the Palestinians are not even viewed as human beings... Journalists and even UN staff killed. 18,000 people. Human rights and humanitarian law....”
Meanwhile, France is coping with the aftermath of an apparent terrorist attack which saw a young man of Iranian ascent stab one person to death in Paris.
Jean-Francois Ricard, the French National Counterterrorism Prosecutor, confirmed the suspect had posted videos showing support for various causes in the Muslim world, including Palestine.
“This video was posted on his X account on which he also posted many publications on Hamas, Gaza and more generally Palestine. His account was created in October.”
In Gaza itself, some displaced people are heading towards Rafah, in the south of the territory, with their belongings, to seek shelter, as fighting resumed after the end of the truce.
The Israeli military issued a statement ordering Palestinians to immediately evacuate half a dozen areas in and around Khan Younis.
Mahrous al-Gogo is one of many leaving Rafah:
“Last night, we didn’t have any sleep in Khan Younis, all night there are strikes, we don’t know where to go, right or left, some people say we should go east, others say we should go west, or north or to Rafah, but Rafah is the same, there’s fear, we don’t know whether to go to Rafah or where to go, but we will not leave Gaza, we will stay inside Palestine.”
The United Nations estimates that 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced.
The Israeli military said Sunday its ground offensive has expanded to every part of Gaza.
A Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman asserted that hundreds have been killed or wounded since the end of the ceasefire.
According to the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, more than 15,400 have been killed since the Israeli military started its operations on the Gaza strip.
