Chances of a military escalation are increasing: Israel decides to further tighten siege on Gaza

The Presidential Committee for the Coordination of Goods of the General Administration of Crossings and Borders announced that Israel decided to stop the entry of all goods and commodities into the Gaza Strip, except for food and medical needs only.

This comes as the Israeli government continues to close (Kerem Shalom Crossing), the main commercial crossing to Gaza, against the backdrop of the tension with Gaza, and the continued launching of incendiary balloons from the Strip towards the jungles of Israeli settlements near the Strip.

This step coincides with the international mediators "Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations" continuing their attempts to contain the escalation and prevent its development, but the last step by preventing the entry of goods and tightening the blockade increases the chances of the factions going to the option of military escalation to force Israel to reduce or lift the siege on Gaza.

In the context, the Israeli website "Walla" revealed that there are new demands presented by Hamas to the mediators, as a condition for stopping the escalation and reaching a lull with Israel.

"Hamas has demanded an increase in Qatari financial aid to the Gaza Strip, and an increase in the United Nations' interference in the implementation of projects in the Strip," the website reported.

And according to what the site stated: "Israel is conducting intensive contacts with mediators in order to reach a lull in Hamas and to stop the escalation in the south, and that Egypt and Qatar are exerting pressure on Hamas to stop the escalation, and they asked Israel to postpone the response to the balloons until an immediate calm is reached." .

According to "Walla," Israeli security sources confirmed that a calm could be reached in the coming days, following the Egyptian and Qatari pressure on Hamas.

However, the estimates of the Israeli security system, according to the site, "indicate that Hamas decided to expand the escalation with Israel, due to the poor economic conditions in Gaza."

Relatedly, our correspondent in Gaza stated that extreme tension and caution still prevail in the Gaza border, and that the launch of incendiary balloons from the Strip continues, which led to the outbreak of hundreds of fires in the cover areas close to the settlements.

He pointed out that the factions declared that they are ready to enter a broad confrontation with Israel to break the siege imposed on Gaza for more than 14 years, and that they will not back down from this demand during discussions with mediators, in return the readiness of the Israeli army increases by deploying air defense systems in nearby settlements from Gaza, which increases the possibility of a military confrontation between the factions and the Israeli army.