Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 29 (ANI): Kshatriya Mahasabha conducted a Havan (a fire ritual) on the premises of Varshney College here on Sunday praying for peace amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.

"There is a war going on between Israel and Palestine and the whole world has been divided over it. There is a chance of the war expanding with other countries joining in it. We want to give a message through this Havan Yagya that peace should prevail and terrorism should end. We prayed for that," Mamta Raja, Aligarh District President All India Kshatriya Mahasabha, said.

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The organisers expressed the fear that Israel-Hamas could flare up into a wider regional war with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon joining it.

The current war between Israel and Hamas began after the latter launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7 killing more than 1,400 people and taking 229 people as hostages.

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In retaliation, Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip with air strikes in which at least 7,700 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has re-issued urgent calls for civilians in Gaza to move south as the ground forces move to the next phase of its war with the terrorist group Hamas.

"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is expanding its operations. We are moving to the next phase of our war against Hamas in Gaza, from the air, land, and sea. On October 7, Hamas committed a crime against humanity. Israel is in a war, it did not start, and it did not sink.

Hamas is attacking Israeli civilians while firing from among dozens of civilians. These are both war crimes. Our fight is with Hamas. Not with the people of Gaza," IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video posted to the IDF's profile on 'X'. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)