Airstrikes kill 30 in Gaza, amid reported US-Israel clash over ceasefire deal

Israeli airstrikes hit two schools and a hospital complex in Gaza yesterday, killing at least 30 people, amid reports of heated disagreements between US and Israeli leaders about a possible ceasefire deal.

- Emma Graham-Hatrison

In Israel, a Palestinian man stabbed two people to death in a city south of Tel Aviv, adding to tensions as the country braced for Iran's response to the dual assassinations of key allies over the past week.

Fears of an all-out war in the region escalated after the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday after an Israeli airstrike had hit Hezbollah's second in command in Beirut hours earlier.

Iran has sworn revenge.

An Israeli military spokesperson warned the country's air defence systems were "not airtight" and urged the public to be alert, as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel was already in a multi-front war with Iran and its allies.

France and Italy became the latest countries to urge their citizens to leave Lebanon, as Israelis reported GPS jamming around Tel Aviv yesterday, something the Israeli military has said in the past it does to counter the threats of drones and missiles.

The US has promised to defend Israel, ordering an aircraft carrier to the region and moving other military assets into position.

Despite such solidarity in the face of a potential Iranian attack, the US president, Joe Biden, has been open about concerns that Haniyeh's killing will complicate efforts to stop the fighting in Gaza, which is key to regional de-escalation.

He had a "heated conversation" this week with Netanyahu, who was forced to deny that he was an obstacle to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, the New York Times reported, quoting a senior US official.