Security establishment 'terrified' of Hamas entering escalation: Media
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The Israeli occupation forces are putting their troops on high alert amid fears about Hamas joining the confrontation against the Israeli occupation.
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Palestinians inspect the damage done to their building following Israeli airstrikes on residential buildings in Gaza City, May 9, 2023 (AP)
Israeli occupation forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi directed the military to heighten its level of preparedness on all fronts, the Israeli Walla! news website reported on Tuesday.
"It is difficult to assume that Hamas will choose to stand idle and stay out of the escalation this time as well," the Israeli Israel Hayom newspaper quoted former Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat as saying.
"There are ongoing talks between senior PIJ and Hamas officials discussing the response to the assassination of three senior PIJ officials," Ben-Shabbat said.
The Israeli occupation forces also announced that they have called up 10,000 reservists to service in light of the security situation in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media reported that "Israel" would not be able to wait for the PIJ's response for a long time and may continue to attack Gaza, noting that the PIJ was "purposefully delaying its response."
The Israeli security establishment is "terrified of Hamas entering the ongoing escalation," Israeli Channel 12 reported.
Additionally, Makor Rishon military affairs expert Noam Amir reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant held an extraordinary meeting with the chief of staff and the head of the Shin Bet, noting that their main point of concern was whether Hamas would join the confrontation.
The Israeli Maariv reported that Netanyahu announced at the security meeting that "the army is preparing for a multifront war."
Israeli media said the Israeli occupation closed the airspace to air traffic within a 10-kilometer radius around the Gaza Strip while deploying the Iron Dome system in southern occupied Palestine.
Many settlers in the settlements of the Gaza envelope decided to leave due to the security tension and the expectation of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip retaliating against the Israeli aggression, Israeli media reported.
There are plans within the Israeli occupation to boost the emergency hotline of the NATAL Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center to provide support for the Israeli settlers whose government is bombing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, it was also reported.
This comes after the Israeli occupation forces conducted air raids on Tuesday on the Gaza Strip, which left 15 Palestinian martyrs and many injured.
Thus far, the continuous air raids have left 15 people dead and more than 20 injured.
After the warplanes bombed the blockaded Strip, the Israeli government ordered its settlers in the settlements of the Gaza envelope to go into bomb shelters until further notice.
Moreover, the Palestinian health ministry reported that women and children were among the martyrs in Gaza.
The Israeli occupation forces said the Israeli Air Force's air raids on Gaza have martyred Jihad Ghannam, the chief of the southern command of the PIJ's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, and his wife.
The Israeli occupation's air raids also targeted Islamic Jihad spokesperson Tarek Ezzedine's house, it was preliminarily reported before it was confirmed that the PIJ official had been martyred.
Another martyr was the commander of the northern region of the Islamic Jihad, Commander Khalil Al-Bahtimi.
Read next: Who are the three PIJ leaders assassinated by the Israeli occupation?
