The United Nations’ Middle East peace envoy has issued a dire warning about this week’s rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine, saying that the two sides are on the path to “full-scale war.” As it stands, the Associated Press reports that 48 Palestinians have been killed as Israel’s military pounded Gaza with airstrikes over the past two days. That number includes 14 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and some 300 Palestinians also have been injured. On the other side, six Israelis, including one child, were reportedly killed by Hamas rockets overnight. According to Axios, the Biden administration is ready to intervene to de-escalate the crisis before it spins out of control, with plans being made to send the deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr, to Israel. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to Egyptian officials Tuesday, saying in a statement that they are planning “steps to restore calm over the coming days.”
