Israel escalates bombardment of Gaza targets

Israel stepped up its airstrike campaign in Gaza on Tuesday, the Israeli military announced, in preparation for an expected ground assault on the territory amid the ongoing war with the militant group Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched more than 400 strikes Monday on Gaza, an increase from about 320 the previous day. The attacks targeted Hamas leadership and military sites, the Israeli government said, but have killed an increasing number of civilians.

Since the war began earlier this month, more than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 2,000 children, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry. About 1,400 Israelis also died in the conflict, mostly civilians in the Hamas surprise attack at the outset of the war.

The new wave of strikes hit targets all over Gaza, including in its south, where the IDF has instructed civilians to shelter to avoid danger.

“We continue to attack forcefully in Gaza City and its environs, where Hamas is building up its terrorist infrastructure, where Hamas is arraying its troops,” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said. He again told Palestinians to head south “for your personal safety.”

As aerial strikes increase, humanitarian groups continue their push for more aid for civilians in the territory. Aid convoys began flowing into Gaza on Saturday, but humanitarian leaders have warned the small haul that has entered the region so far is not enough, and convoys will soon need to stop as Gaza runs entirely out of fuel.

Israel prevented food, water, medical supplies, power and fuel from entering Gaza for the first weeks of the war and still bars the entry of fuel, leaving key power generators at hospitals in a dire situation.

The expected ground invasion of Gaza has created fears over an escalation in the conflict, as militant groups across the region hint they may join the fight if Israel sends troops into the region. The U.S. has warned Hezbollah in Lebanon against fighting, but the group has skirmished with the Israeli military for days on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

On Monday, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. is “deeply concerned about the possibility for any significant escalation” in the conflict from the militant groups, chiefly Hezbollah.

The U.S. has advised Israel to delay an invasion, saying the tactic could help release the 200 hostages still under Hamas control, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Four of those hostages were freed in recent days, including two Americans. An unknown number of Americans are still missing, though the U.S. government said it is a “very small” number.

Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) made a similar claim Monday, urging the Israeli military not to send its forces into Gaza.

“There is no doubt that an imminent ground invasion would be catastrophic for innocent Palestinians in Gaza and jeopardize urgent efforts to save hostages,” he said in a statement. “Israel has the absolute right to attack Hamas for the brutal, heinous slaughter of more than 1,400 Israelis and the taking of more than 200 hostages.”

“But, Israel also has a responsibility to protect Palestinian civilians living in Gaza, including one million children,” Welch added. “Already, more than 5,000 Palestinians have died.”