The Israeli government is under intense public pressure Thursday to topple Hamas after its militants stormed through a border fence Saturday and massacred hundreds of Israeli citizens — mostly elderly, women, and children hiding in their homes, caught on the streets, or at an outdoor music festival.
Hamas said it launched its bloody terror attack Saturday because of Palestinians’ suffering.
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Need the facts first? Here’s what’s happening on Day 6 of the war:
The Israeli military has identified every soldier killed by Hamas since Saturday.
The Israeli military confirmed the count on Thursday.
A total of 222 Israeli soldiers have died and their families have all been notified, a spokesperson for the military said.
This count does not include the number of Israeli civilians massacred by Hamas. That number is well over 700.
US death toll in Israel rises to at least 25.
The number of U.S. citizens who have died in the Israel-Palestinian war has risen to at least 25, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday during a visit Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
That’s an increase from 22 on Wednesday. The State Department previously said at least 17 more Americans remain unaccounted for.
Palestinians say Israeli planes dropped flyers warning civilians to evacuate.
Palestinian residents of the city of Beit Lahiya in the northern region of the Gaza Strip said Thursday that Israeli planes dropped flyers warning civilians to evacuate and to head to “known shelters.”
“Anyone who is near Hamas terrorists will put their lives in danger,” the flyers warn. “Adhering to IDF instructions will prevent you from being exposed to danger.”
Israel often gives prior warning before an airstrike. Hamas regularly uses human shields to protect their weapon stashes.
Palestinians living the pummeled Strip have said that the military has not alerted them before striking this time, or will alert them but not with enough time to evacuate before their homes are struck. Israeli defense officials have said that they attempt to provide warning before strikes.
Palestinians rush to buy food under strikes as Israel readies a ground operation.
Palestinians lined up outside bakeries and grocery stores in Gaza on Thursday after spending the night surrounded by the ruins of pulverized neighborhoods darkened by a near-total power outage. Israel launched new airstrikes and said it was preparing for a possible ground invasion.
International aid groups warned that the death toll in Gaza could mount after Israel stopped their regular deliveries of food, water, fuel, and electricity. Egypt, Gaza’s other neighbor, rarely if ever contributes and has it’s border closed. The war has already claimed at least 2,500 lives on both sides.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground maneuver if decided,” but that political leaders have not yet ordered one.
A ground offensive in Gaza, whose 2.3 million residents are densely packed into a sliver of land only 25 miles long, would likely bring even higher casualties on both sides in brutal house-to-house fighting.
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The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.