Jerusalem, Jan 3 (AP) Heavy fighting raged in central and southern Gaza on Wednesday as fears mounted of a regional escalation following a strike in Beirut that killed one of the top Hamas leaders.

The strike was widely blamed on Israel but it's implications for the war remain unclear. Israeli officials have not commented on the strike Tuesday that killed Saleh Arouri, the most senior Hamas member slain since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said “we are on high readiness for any scenario.”

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Hamas' October 7 attack from Gaza into southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and some 240 others were taken hostage. Israel's air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 22,100 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Israel's campaign has driven some 85 per cent of Gaza's population from their homes, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into overcrowded shelters or teeming tent camps in Israeli-designated safe areas that the military has nevertheless bombed. A quarter of Gaza's population face starvation, according to the United Nations, as Israeli restrictions and heavy fighting hinder aid delivery.

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Here's what's happening in the war:

GERMANY JOINS CRITICISM OF ISRAELI MINISTERS' RESETTLEMENT COMMENTS

BERLIN – Germany has joined in strong criticism of two Israeli ministers' calls for Palestinians to be resettled outside Gaza.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said on Wednesday that Berlin, a close ally of Israel, rejects the comments by Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir “in the strongest terms” and that “they are neither useful nor helpful.”

He underlined the position of Germany and its Group of Seven allies that “there must be no expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, there must be no territorial reduction of the Gaza Strip.”

He added that “from our point of view, a two-state solution remains the only sustainable model for Israelis and Palestinians to live together peacefully.”

MACRON WARNS ISRAEL AGAINST FORCED DISPLACEMENT IN GAZA

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Israel against contemplating a forced displacement of Gaza residents.

In a phone call on Tuesday with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's War Cabinet, Macron “argued that statements relating to the forced displacement of Gazans were unacceptable and contradicted the two-state solution which constitutes the only viable solution for a return to peace and security for all,” the president's office said in an overnight readout of the phone call.

Macron also warned against the risk of spreading conflict, saying it is “essential to avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon,” the statement said. “France will continue to pass these messages to all actors involved directly or indirectly in the area,” it added.

US SLAMS 'IRRESPONSIBLE' COMMENTS OF FAR-RIGHT ISRAELI MINISTERS

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has spoken out against the comments of two far-right Israeli ministers who recently called for Palestinians to be resettled outside of Gaza.

In a statement on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir's comments “inflammatory and irresponsible.”

On Sunday, Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister, said Israel should “encourage migration” from Gaza and re-establish Jewish settlements in the territory, where it withdrew settlers and soldiers in 2005. Ben Gvir has made similar comments about resettling Palestinians.

Miller said Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have “repeatedly” told the US leaders that “such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government.”

“Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel,” Miller said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)