Israel plans to step up attacks on the Gaza Strip, IDF says

After the militant organization Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on October 7, thousands of people died and thousands more were hurt, putting the region on the brink of all-out war. Israel retaliated by launching a bombing campaign and placing the neighboring Gaza Strip under a total siege.

Israeli authorities report that there have been at least 1,400 fatalities and 4,629 injuries in Israel. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, there have now been a total of 4,385 fatalities, including 1,756 children and 967 women, and 13,561 injuries in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.

As electricity and other supplies have been cut off in anticipation of what appears to be an impending ground offensive, aid workers and officials worry that Israel's request for the evacuation of the northern part of Gaza is triggering a humanitarian catastrophe.

Even though Israel has argued that it has a right to self-defense, a right that the United States supports, humanitarian organizations have urged the country to halt the evacuation and accept a cease-fire.