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00:00 News agencies interviewed people in Tel Aviv and Tehran.
00:03 What have they been saying?
00:04 Well, they've been saying pretty much the same as far as what the AFP has been saying,
00:09 and we'll listen to them in a while.
00:12 First of all, people in Israel and Iran, the ones who are interviewed, are asking for peace,
00:18 for the end of this escalation.
00:21 They do not want any more retaliations to these strikes because they fear the worst.
00:27 So they want things to quiet down, are calling for peace.
00:30 At the same time, you know, in both countries there is a big opposition to the people in
00:35 power, to the leadership.
00:36 But at the same time, the people who were interviewed understand that there was some
00:39 kind of retaliation.
00:40 They don't want this to go any further because a retaliation that would be more destructive
00:47 could lead to a very serious escalation in the whole region.
00:51 So it starts, the sounds we're going to listen to, the people we're going to listen to, first
00:55 in Jerusalem, then in Tehran and Iran, the Israelis talking about that they're from Iran
01:03 originally and saying their dream would be to reunite with Iranians and to go back to
01:09 their roots and calling to unite, especially as, well, Jews all over the world are about
01:14 to celebrate Passover.
01:16 And then we'll listen to a soundbite from Iran today.
01:20 Let's listen.
01:21 Long live the people of Israel and Iran.
01:26 May the two sit together in the next Passover.
01:29 Here's to the lives of all Jews in Israel and abroad and to the lives of all our brothers
01:35 and sisters in Iran.
01:37 To life.
01:38 In general, we are not in favour of war.
01:41 One way or another, war is destructive.
01:43 We are against war.
01:44 We do not accept whether this side launches attacks or that side launches attacks.
01:48 We did not accept it.
01:49 We are not happy with the killing of people, whether they are Iranians, Israelis or Gazans.
01:56 So of course, Iranians in Tehran and as residents across the Middle East and in the world, very
02:01 concerned also for Gazans, especially as the situation there continues and could worsen
02:08 in days to come.
02:09 It would be nice if the people in power had those same views.
02:12 Speaking of Gaza, Shirley, there is growing concern because Israel seems determined to
02:16 go into Rafah to fight Hamas.
02:19 Defense continues in Rafah.
02:21 Palestinians say that Israeli allies aren't being vocal enough to stop that ground offensive.
02:25 Yes, because they have criticized the Israeli plan to return with the ground now to Rafah
02:31 to destroy what the Israelis say are the last battalions of Hamas.
02:34 Who they say, the Israelis say are in Rafah, but their allies and of course other countries
02:40 as well, but many countries, European countries, the US have called against it, have urged
02:46 against this because they see that there could be many more deaths among civilians.
02:51 The G7 opposes what it calls a full scale military operation in Rafah.
02:56 The US is opposed to a large scale offensive in Rafah and is calling to preserve civilians.
03:00 But does that mean that they're not opposed to some kind of a ground offensive in Gaza?
03:05 It's not very clear and Palestinians obviously would like them to be much more vocal against
03:10 this, very clear against all operations in Gaza, you would imagine.
03:14 But the Israelis who say that without this they will not be able to get Hamas out of
03:20 there and that it will go back and strengthen again.
03:24 And well in Israel in recent days, some people have been linking, joining what happened with
03:28 Iran and what's happening in the Gaza Strip, saying that now that, saying that Israel may
03:33 have promised the Americans not to retaliate in a strong way to what happened last Sunday,
03:41 you know, these launches of drones and missile towards Israel and this in exchange for a
03:46 softer American approach to what's happening in Rafah and allowing the Israelis, not being
03:51 as opposed, not as loudly against an Israeli operation in Rafah.
03:55 That's what's being said.
03:56 Of course, there's no confirmation of this on any side.
03:59 The Americans still urging and saying they're very concerned about the Israeli plan in Rafah
04:05 and calling to preserve civilians.
04:06 Of course, all of many Gazans who have fled the north and center, they found refuge in
04:12 the south and now they're extremely concerned.
04:14 Yeah, it's a worrying situation what you're saying, Shirley.
04:16 Thank you so much for your analysis.
04:19 That's France 24's Shirley Sitbone.