They also discussed the importance of civilian protection LONDON: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday spoke with Egyptian Minister of Defense Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, the Pentagon said. The two discussed efforts to bolster security in the Middle East following an attack by the Gaza-based Hamas group on Israel on Oct. 7 that followed a month-long retaliatory assault by Israeli forces. “The secretary expressed appreciation for Egypt’s work to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the safe evacuation of US citizens from Gaza,” the Department of Defense said in a statement. “They also discussed the importance of civilian protection,” it added. The call came as Israel said Tuesday that its ground forces were battling Hamas fighters deep inside Gaza’s largest city, signaling a major new stage in the month-old conflict, and its leaders foresee controlling the enclave’s security after the war. “Austin emphasized his support for Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorism — consistent with international humanitarian law, his focus on deterring state and non-state actors from escalating the conflict, and US readiness to defend itself from Iran-sponsored attacks on US personnel,” the department also said. A month of relentless bombardment in Gaza has killed more than 10,300 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, according the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run territory. More than 2,300 are believed buried from strikes that reduced entire city blocks to rubble. Around 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, and many of them are crowded into UN schools-turned-shelters. Civilians in Gaza are relying on a trickle of aid and their own daily foraging for food and water from supplies that have dwindled after weeks of siege. Meanwhile, Israelis commemorated the 30th day since the Hamas attack that killed 1,400 people and saw some 240 people abducted and more than 250,000 Israelis evacuated from their homes near the borders of Gaza and Lebanon. (With AP)