LIVE UPDATES: Hamas Says Goals of Operation Achieved, Open to Talks

The home of Mohammed Deif, the commander of the military wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, has been hit in an Israeli attack, resulting in the death of his closest relatives, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed US special operations forces to provide planning and intelligence support to Israel, a US military official told Sputnik.

"The secretary offered hostage rescue support to Minister [Yoav] Gallant on the phone this weekend and directed his JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] team to lean forward with planning and intel support to IDF [Israel Defense Forces]," the official said on Tuesday.

Israel will take the lead on any operations that may involve assistance from US forces, but it does not mean US troops will be on the ground, the official said.

The Israeli Defense Forces announced Tuesday that its troops were carrying out strikes on Syrian territory in response to several launches detected earlier from the region.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Tuesday that the Gaza Strip is facing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has warned that Gaza Strip will never return to what it was. He threatened Hamas saying "they will regret this moment."

“I have released all the restraints, we have [regained] control of the area, and we are moving to a full offense,” Gallant says to troops on the Gaza border.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a telephone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed US support for Israel amid the escalation with the Palestinian Hamas movement, the White House said on Tuesday.

"President Biden and Vice President Harris just concluded a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss our support for Israel," the White House said in a statement.

Israel has right to defend itself, but a number of its actions in Gaza go against international law, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday.

The head of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, called on the Arab countries on Tuesday to provide funding to support the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh sent a political memorandum on the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood the presidents and leaders of Arab countries and the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, according to the statement.

The Middle East conflict can be solved only in compliance with UN Security Council resolutions and by addressing the interests of the Palestinian people, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Tuesday.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused the Israeli armed forces on Tuesday of using ammunition with white phosphorus which are prohibited by international conventions.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed the aggravation of the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone with Israeli Ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The conversation was focused on issues related to the sharp aggravation of the situation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has passed into the phase of a bloody armed confrontation, which has already led to numerous casualties, especially among the civilian population," the statement said.

The Palestinian-Israeli escalation will not end in one or two weeks, and efforts are needed to prevent the conflict, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.