NEW DELHI: Gaza medics and rescuers on Monday said that Israeli strikes on several homes killed at least 18 people amid Hamas’s claims of having enough resources to sustain the fight nearly a year into the war.
A senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told news agency AFP during an interview in Istanbul, "The resistance has a high ability to continue."
"There were martyrs and there were sacrifices... but in return, there was an accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance." His comments came less than a week after Gallant told journalists that Hamas "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza.
The October 7 attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
The conflict has attracted Iran-backed fighters from various countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Tensions are escalating along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, raising concerns that the violence could escalate into a full-scale war.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin over a phone call, "The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to 'tie itself' to Hamas."
Israeli media outlets said Amos Hochstein, the special envoy of US President Joe Biden, arrived in Israel on Monday to help defuse tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces since October 7.
Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said previously that his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides".
Gallant's warning also comes after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed a rare missile attack on central Israel on Sunday -- an attack that caused no casualties but sparked vows of retaliation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us," the Israeli premier said.
The Houthis said they had "penetrated" Israel's air defenses, while Israel said the missile likely fragmented mid-air but was not destroyed.
In a televised speech, the Huthis' leader said the rebels and their regional allies were "preparing to do even more".
"Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue," Abdul Malik al-Huthi said.
A senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told news agency AFP during an interview in Istanbul, "The resistance has a high ability to continue."
"There were martyrs and there were sacrifices... but in return, there was an accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance." His comments came less than a week after Gallant told journalists that Hamas "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza.
The October 7 attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
The conflict has attracted Iran-backed fighters from various countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Tensions are escalating along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, raising concerns that the violence could escalate into a full-scale war.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin over a phone call, "The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out as Hezbollah continues to 'tie itself' to Hamas."
Israeli media outlets said Amos Hochstein, the special envoy of US President Joe Biden, arrived in Israel on Monday to help defuse tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces since October 7.
Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said previously that his group has "no intention of going to war", but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides".
Gallant's warning also comes after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed a rare missile attack on central Israel on Sunday -- an attack that caused no casualties but sparked vows of retaliation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us," the Israeli premier said.
The Houthis said they had "penetrated" Israel's air defenses, while Israel said the missile likely fragmented mid-air but was not destroyed.
In a televised speech, the Huthis' leader said the rebels and their regional allies were "preparing to do even more".
"Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue," Abdul Malik al-Huthi said.
