Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip set up a tent camp in Rafah on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
Israel Palestinians
(Gaza City, Gaza) — Fierce battles are being waged between Israel and Hamas in southern Gaza. Israeli warplanes are bombing targets across the heavily-populated coast of Gaza in some of the heaviest fighting since the war began two months ago. Tanks are also rolling into southern Gaza, where Israeli troops reportedly are battling Palestinian militants. Israeli military leaders telling the “Washington Post” that they have taken out 5,000 Hamas members so far, but there could be 30,000 more still in the Gaza Strip.
The international pressure to minimize civilians deaths is Gaza is mounting. The U.S. continues to pressure Israeli leaders to do more to protect civilians. The Gaza Health Ministry claims  nearly 16,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, including more than 5,000 children.