10 things you need to know today: October 16, 2023

Diplomats try to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading, relief groups call for a Gaza humanitarian corridor, and more

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Cairo, en route to Jordan
(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

1. Israel-Hamas war fuels fear of regional conflict

Diplomats from the United States and other nations scrambled Sunday to prevent the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip from broadening into a regional conflict. Israel is preparing to launch a ground offensive into the Palestinian territory, aiming to crush Hamas in response to last week's bloody surprise attacks in southern Israel by Hamas fighters. Iran warned that the battle could turn into a regional conflict if Israel's attacks in Gaza continue. Fighting intensified on Israel's border with Lebanon, where Israeli jets started bombing after Hezbollah anti-tank rockets killed one person in northern Israel. Israel warned it would "destroy" Lebanon's Hezbollah if it entered the war. The New York Times, Aljazeera

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.