19 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombing of Gaza shelters

Nineteen Palestinians were martyred Wednesday in Israeli occupation forces' airstrikes on displaced persons' camps and homes in the town of Abasan, south of the Gaza Strip.

Medical sources said that eight Palestinians were martyred after Israeli warplanes bombed a tent housing displaced persons near the Abu Hawa brick factory in Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis.

Four were martyred and others were wounded in a bombing that targeted a house and a popular market west of Khan Younis.

Meanwhile, the Civil Defense said that three Palestinians were martyred in an Israeli raid near al-Shafi'i Mosque west of the city, and 10 others were wounded.

Three were also martyred in a bombing of a tent in the town of Bani Suhaila, east of the city, and a woman was killed in an Israeli raid on a charitable soup kitchen distributing food to the displaced.

US: ceasefire still 'close'

Israel and Hamas are still close to a ceasefire deal, the White House insisted yesterday, despite growing fears of a regional war following the assassination of a key Hamas leader.

AFP said Washington is still engaged in "intense diplomacy" to prevent further escalation after Iran threatened revenge for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

"We are as close as we think we have ever been" to a deal for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Tense Israel in waiting

Israel's ambulance service has stocked blood supplies in a fortified underground centre, factories have moved out hazardous materials and municipal authorities are checking bomb shelters and water supplies as the country waits for a threatened attack from Iran and its proxies.

"I know that the citizens of Israel are on alert, and I ask of you one thing - keep patient and cool," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said while meeting new army recruits.

Israel now finds itself facing the threat of a multifront war -- Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, all backed and funded by Iran.

An attack is expected in the coming days following vows from Iran and Hezbollah to retaliate for the assassinations last week of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

The military is on high alert and last weekend it augmented its nationwide system of air raid sirens and broadcast alerts to include real-time text messages to be sent to residents in targeted areas.

Many local councils have advised residents to reduce non-essential activity, stay near protected areas and avoid large gatherings.

In Haifa, public bomb shelters have been equipped with digital systems so they can be unlocked remotely during an attack, said Yair Zilberman, director of the city's security and emergency services department. They are also being equipped with generators.

A number of underground parking lots have been approved as makeshift shelters with enough space for thousands of residents if needed, Zilberman said.

In the city of Ramla in central Israel, national ambulance service Magen David Adom (MDA) has been collecting blood donations in a subterranean service center, shielded with extra-thick concrete walls, blast doors and airlocks.

Last Thursday, the Environmental Protection Ministry held a situational assessment to decide how best to protect factories with inventories that could be dangerous if targeted in a missile strike, or how to deal with an attack on a building that contains asbestos.

The military said the Home Front Command keeps in constant contact with factories and local authorities to maintain a "complete picture of the inventory levels of hazardous materials".

The Bazan Group, which operates in Haifa one of the largest oil refineries in the eastern Mediterranean, told Reuters it was "working to maintain energy security and the continuity of fuel supply to the economy."

Mass cash withdrawals are another scenario for which authorities are preparing.

"The stock of banknotes and coins in the Bank of Israel and the banking system will, according to every visible forecast, be sufficient," the Bank of Israel said.