Worldwide concern for Israel-Hamas war increasing rapidly

Videos and images of the atrocities committed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas when it launched a deadly attack on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 are horrific and appalling – with infants, young children, men, women and the elderly killed, and hundreds dragged away as hostages.

But the latest Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike in Gaza, specifically at the Jabalya refugee camp, has also left equally disturbing images of the devastation that the Israel-Hamas war has wrought, with people digging through the rubble to look for survivors, the huge crater in the middle amid a backdrop of wrecked buildings somehow capturing the sense of devastation that residents must be feeling. What is even more heartbreaking for many are the photos and videos of the wounded and crying children who are unable to make sense of the chaos that surrounds them.

The IDF said they have surrounded Gaza City, with soldiers “fighting in close quarters” as they seek out members of the Palestinian terrorist group. But the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, warned that Israel’s soldiers would go home “in black bags.”

Needless to say, the situation is causing an ever increasing concern not only in Washington, DC but all over the world because of the risk of escalation that can go beyond the Middle East as malicious groups and actors try to exploit the situation. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby admitted that the United States is “deeply concerned about the potential for any significant escalation of these attacks in the days ahead.”

For one, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group has already entered the picture – obviously supported by Iran – launching rocket and drone attacks against US troops in Syria and Iraq two weeks ago. In response, the US conducted self-defense airstrikes on weapons depots in Syria used by Iran-backed militant groups, and may conduct even more defensive airstrikes to deter Iran-backed militias. There is US intelligence suggesting that Syria has agreed to supply Hezbollah with Russian-made surface-to-air defense missile system to be delivered by the Wagner Group, although it is unclear if delivery has