Daily Despatch: The Day War Almost Broke Out On Israel's Northern Border

From the frontlines of the Israel-Palestine war, NDTV brings you daily despatches by journalist Allan Sorensen, Middle East Correspondent for Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad, giving insights and gripping first-hand accounts from the war-torn region.

One anti-tank missile after the other was fired from Lebanon into Israel on Sunday. In at least six such attacks two Israeli soldiers were killed, and several others wounded. On Sunday afternoon it seemed as if an all-out war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah was more likely than an Israeli land invasion of Gaza. Helicopters, drones, and fighter jets patrolled the clouded skies above the northern border of Israel, while the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of all villages within two kilometers of the Lebanese border. 

The headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon in the coastal town of Naqoura was hit by a rocket during the exchange of fire and escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. None were hurt in the attack and till now it has not been established where the rocket was fired from. The UN mission, known as UNIFIL, was created in 2006 after a long summer war between Israel and Hezbollah. 

In an attempt to de-escalate the tension on the border, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant sent a clear message to Hezbollah. 

"We have no interest in a war in the north, we don't want to escalate the situation. If Hezbollah chooses the path of war, it will pay a very heavy price. But if it restrains itself, we'll respect the situation and keep things the way they are, despite shooting from both sides," he said in a video message.

At the same time, while Israel was still preparing for a land invasion of Gaza, the local Palestinian population was still struggling to flee from northern Gaza. It is estimated that at least one million Palestinians inside Gaza have been internally displaced. Some 6,00,000 are believed to have left the northern areas following an Israeli request.

UNRWA, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, stated Sunday that Gaza "is being strangled" while the number of people seeking shelter at their schools and facilities in the south of Gaza is steadily growing. 

The Israeli army stated that it would not target a specific route south for several hours, again urging Palestinians to leave the north. According to Israeli media, the request to the population in Gaza has two different aims. One is to clear the northern areas ahead of an expected ground invasion. The second is to maximize the pressure on Hamas by creating a situation that is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel hopes that Hamas will release some of the 199 kidnapped Israelis inside Gaza in exchange for immediate humanitarian assistance. 

Hospitals in Gaza are expected to run out of fuel for emergency generations within a few days, according to the UN, putting at immediate risk the lives of a large number of patients. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the Biden administration does not support the mass relocation of Palestinians outside of Gaza. 

"I've heard directly from the Palestinian Authority President [Mahmoud] Abbas and from virtually every other leader that I've talked to in the region, that that idea is a non-starter, and so we do not support it," Blinken said in an interview with Al Arabiya from Cairo.

"We believe that people should be able to stay in Gaza, their home. But we also want to make sure that they're out of harm's way and that they're getting the assistance they need."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday met with the relatives of hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu made a promise to declare the release of the hostages a clear aim of the current war against Hamas. The decision was received with relief by the relatives of the hostages. According to Israeli media reports, negotiations for the release of children, women, and elderly from Gaza is ongoing with Qatar as a mediator. No details have been published about the negotiations.

The overall death count on the Israeli side stands at more than 1,300, while the number of dead in Gaza climbed to at least 2,670 on Sunday. 

According to the US State Department, the number of Americans killed since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas rose to 30 on Sunday. 

"At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 30 US citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected," the State Department said in a statement. 

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, warned that the Middle East is "on the verge of the abyss".

Het urged Hamas to release hostages and pledged that Israel would allow humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza.

"Each one of these two objectives is valid in themselves. They should not become bargaining chips," the UN chief said in a statement.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday that he would seek to assemble a "generous" package of wartime aid for Israel with the help of the Senate. 

"America will stand with its ally Israel. I, along with my colleagues here, will lead the effort in the United States Senate to provide Israel with the support required to fully defend itself from this monstrous attack," he said at a news conference in Israel.  

In an interview with 60 Minutes, US President Joe Biden stated that he believes Hamas must be eliminated. He also said it would be a mistake for Israel to reoccupy parts of Gaza. 

Up until 2005, some 8,000 Israeli Jews lived in settlements inside Gaza. 

Sunday also marked the day when several incidents against Jews were reported in Europe and the US. 

FBI officials said they had noticed an increase in threatening rhetoric against Jewish and Muslim communities in the week since the brutal Hamas attacks in Israel. In Germany, the Jewish symbol, the Star of David, was painted on the doors of several Jewish families in the city of Berlin.

(Allan Sorensen is the Middle East correspondent for the Danish daily newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.