ISRAEL has evacuated civilians living close to the Lebanon border amid fears Hezbollah is on the brink of invading.

Foreign powers have urged the Iran-backed terror group to stay on the sidelines – but deputy chief Naim Qassem vowed to join “when the time comes for action”.

The threat of an escalation in the war came as UN aid chief Martin Griffiths warned that the “spectre of death” is hanging over the entire region.

The Israeli military has now ordered residents of 28 villages to evacuate as cross-border fire ramps up.

Supporting the Hamas terror groups in Gaza, Hezbollah terrorists in the north blasted rockets and missiles on Sunday before Israel retaliated with airstrikes and shelling.

At least one person was killed on the Israeli side while many more were injured.

Residents in 28 communities within 1.2 miles of the border will now be put up in guesthouses in central Israel.

Qassem said last week: “Hezbollah knows its duties perfectly well.

“We are prepared and ready, fully ready, and we are following developments moment by moment.”

Fears of escalation come as hospitals fuel supplies for hospitals in Gaza are set to run out in less than 24 hours.

The lives of thousands of sick patients will be jeopardised as precious supplies dwindle.

Israel halted all deliveries of food, water, fuel and medicine to Gaza and has told the estimated 1 million residents of the north to flee south ahead of Israel’s planned attack.

Last week, Gaza’s only power station ran out of fuel and shut down – leaving only lights powered by scattered private generators.

Hospitals are now running dangerously low on fuel and could run out in less than a day.

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The UN has warned “the lives of thousands of patients” will be at “risk”.

Palestinian civilians across Gaza are struggling for survival in the face of an unprecedented Israeli operation against the territory following the horrific invasion of Hamas into Israeli towns and thousands of rockets launched into Israel.

It was reported bodies in Gaza were being held in ice cream freezer vans after hospital morgues were overwhelmed.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — under pressure from US President Joe Biden — yesterday agreed to restore Gaza’s water supply.

Now Israel’s soldiers have vowed to “wipe this evil off the face of the earth once and for all” as they prepare to attack the terrorists.

Israel has warned Gaza it is preparing an all-out assault “from the air, land and sea”, with Mr Netanyahu telling front-line soldiers: “The next stage is coming.”

A week after the bloodbath, he said the nation was approaching a “fateful hour”.

With nearly 400,000 troops gearing up for battle, he said: “They are ready to take action to defeat the bloodthirsty monsters who have risen against us to destroy us.

“Hamas thought that we would come apart – we will demolish Hamas.”

Plans of an all-out ground offensive come as the Israeli military says Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups are holding 199 hostages in Gaza.

Brits seized by Hamas in Israel are among those killed in Gaza, the Foreign Secretary said yesterday.

James Cleverly also confirmed around 10 were taken during last Saturday’s cross-border attacks.

Hamas terrorists unleashed carnage in Israel as they swept in on motorbikes, handgliders and bulldozers before massacring more than 1,200 on October 7 and taking dozens hotages

Iran-backed Hamas is believed to have spent at least two years planning the bloodbath.