Israel says Gaza fighting could last a year, amplifying fears of regional war

Comments from senior defence officials come during tour by US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, intended to defuse tensions

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Israeli defence officials and former senior intelligence officers have said they expect fighting in Gaza to continue for at least a year, raising the prospect of thousands more civilian casualties, a deepening humanitarian crisis and a continuing grave threat to regional stability.

In a briefing, R Adm Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said the centre and south of Gaza, where military efforts are now focused, was dense and saturated with terrorists" with an underground city of branching tunnels".