Israel presses on in Gaza after Iran attack

Israeli air strikes and tanks continued to hammer Gaza, Hamas and witnesses said yesterday, as world leaders urged de-escalation awaiting Israel's reaction to Iran's unprecedented attack that heightened fears of wider conflict.

World powers have urged restraint after Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel late Saturday, though the Israeli military has said nearly all were intercepted.

Tehran's first direct assault on Israel, in retaliation for a deadly April 1 strike on its Damascus consulate, followed months of violence across the region involving Iranian proxies and allies who say they act in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

After the attack, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed the Washington's "ironclad" support for Israel. However, a senior US official said Biden had also told Netanyahu that his administration would not offer military support for any retaliation on Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his war cabinet on Sunday, but no decision has been made on how or when Israel could respond to the Iran attack, local media said, reporting another meeting planned later yesterday.

• Fears grow over Israeli plans to send troops into Rafah
• Gaza officials say Israel released 150 detainees
• Death toll in enclave rises to 33,797

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned that a "reckless" Israeli move would spark a "much stronger response", while foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said yesterday that Western nations should "appreciate Iran's restraint" in recent months.

The Israeli military said it would not be distracted from its offensive against Tehran-backed Hamas in Gaza.

As mediators eye a deal to halt the fighting, fears persisted over Israeli plans to send ground troops into Rafah, a far-southern city where the majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have taken refuge.

"Hamas is still holding our hostages in Gaza," Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said of the roughly 130 people, including 34 presumed dead, who Israel says remain in the hands of Hamas.

"We also have hostages in Rafah, and we will do everything we can to bring them back home," the military spokesman told a briefing.

The army said it was calling up "two reserve brigades for operational activities", about a week after withdrawing most ground troops from Gaza.

Meanwhile, Gaza's crossings authority said Israel released around 150 detainees from the Palestinian territory yesterday, alleging that they had been mistreated in detention.

The Hamas government media office said Israeli aircraft and tanks launched "dozens" of strikes overnight on central Gaza, reporting several casualties.

Witnesses told AFP that strikes hit the Nuseirat refugee camp, with clashes also reported in other areas of central and northern Gaza.

Israel's offensive has killed at least 33,797 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The toll includes at least 68 deaths over the past 24 hours, it said.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Sunday following the Iranian attack, where Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the region was "on the brink" of war.

"Neither the region nor the world can afford more war," the UN chief said. "Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate."

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron yesterday urged Israel to "avoid escalatation", and instead urged Israeli authorities to focus on freeing hostages held by Hamas.

French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday his government would help do everything to avoid a "conflagration" in the Middle East.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that after Israel's "success" in intercepting the Iranian launches, "our advice is to contribute to de-escalation".