President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the foreign ministry and other government agencies to thoroughly prepare safety measures for South Korean residents and travelers amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Yoon said there has been over one-thousand-500 deaths in the wake of indiscriminate shootings and kidnappings of civilians.

He forecast the crisis to possibly expand to an international conflict, with Iran and Lebanon-based Hezbollah supporting Hamas and the U.S., Britain, France and Germany backing Israel's right of self-defense.

The South Korean leader then cast concerns over the impact on the domestic economy amid already high interest rates, stating that past armed conflicts in the Middle East led to soaring global oil prices and cost-push inflation.

The president urged officials to closely respond to external factors causing uncertainties and to exert efforts to minimize the burden on public livelihoods from inflation and increased interest.