The spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, Abu Obeida, has called for an escalation across all fronts in a televised speech marking 200 days since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. The war began with a Hamas assault on southern Israel on October 7, which killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized 253 hostages. Israel launched an aerial assault and ground offensive in Gaza in response, vowing to eliminate Hamas and end its rule of Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has placed the Palestinian death toll since October 7 at over 34,000 people, although this figure cannot be independently verified and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed some 13,000 Hamas gunmen in battle, as well as some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7. In his speech, Abu Obeida praised Iran’s attack on Israel on April 13, saying the direct strikes with hundreds of explosive drones and missiles “set new rules, drew important equations, and confused the enemy and those behind it.” He also called for an escalation in the West Bank and Jordan, which he called “one of the most important Arab fronts.” Jordan, which lies between Iran and Israel, intercepted and shot down dozens of Iranian drones that entered its airspace and were heading to Israel, two regional security sources said earlier this month.