Israel responds to barrage of rockets sent by Hamas with airstrikes

The wife of an Israeli soldier carries her child past a tank, as she visits her husband upon his return from a mission in the Palestinian territory on January 28, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

Israeli army troops drive through a dirt road along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Jan. 25, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Smoke billows over buildings is Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Jan. 25, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli soldiers searched a field after two drones allegedly crossed from Lebanese territory into Israel and fell near the Kibbutz on Jan. 25, 2024, in Kfar Blum, Israel. The war between Israel and Hamas that ignited on Oct. 7 has also inflamed tensions on the country's northern border with Lebanon, where the militant political group Hezbollah has traded cross-border fire with Israel in the most significant clashes since 2006.

January 24, 2024: An Israeli army soldier launches a drone from a field in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

January 24, 2024: Palestinian youth retrieve books from the rubble of a mosque and buildings which collapsed during Israeli bombardment around the town city of Rafah southern Gaza Strip.

January 24, 2024: An Israeli tank moves along the border with the Gaza Strip in Southern Israel, Israel. According to Israel, 132 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza. Israeli families of hostages are urging the Netanyahu government to accept an agreement with Hamas to ensure their release.

January 24, 2024: A Palestinian man stands in front of a building destroyed during Israeli bombardment around the town city of Rafah southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli soldiers move on armored personnel carriers (APC) near the Israeli-Gaza border as smoke rises to the sky in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.

Ela Bahat touches a picture of her 30-year-old son Dror, who was killed on Oct. 7 in a cross-border attack by Hamas at the Nova music festival in Re'im, southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, during an event where friends and relatives are planting trees in memory of their loved ones.

Israeli army self-propelled artillery Howitzers roll in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip on Jan. 19, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Jan. 20, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from southern Israel shows an Israeli army helicopter firing at targets in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 18, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

This picture taken on Jan. 18, 2024, from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A child is seen amongst damaged homes caused by Israeli air strikes on Jan. 18, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza. Israel increased air raids in the south of the Gaza Strip, where medicines are expected for hostages held by Hamas and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population. Despite Israel's recent troop drawdown in Gaza and the discussion of postwar plans by an Israeli cabinet minister, the country has continued its intensive bombardment of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the territory's south, as it seeks to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian militant group behind the Oct. 7 attacks. More than 24,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the last three months, according to the territory's health ministry, and most of the population has been displaced.

The father of Masa Shoman carries the body of his daughter who was killed during Israeli bombardment during her funeral in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip, on January 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

An Israeli battle tank is positioned along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on January 17, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A Palestinian woman reacts in front of a destroyed building in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Jan. 16, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

A picture taken from the Israeli border with Gaza shows Israeli soldiers in an armored vehicle convoy returning from the Palestinian territory on Jan. 15, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

Palestinian people walk past a destroyed building in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Jan. 16, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Israeli soldiers work on a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

This photograph taken on Jan. 15, 2024, from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A Palestinian girl wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is treated at a hospital in Rafah on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

Palestinian journalists staged a protest to draw attention to the Palestinian press killed while covering the war in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 15, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza. Despite Israel's recent troop drawdown in Gaza and the discussion of postwar plans by an Israeli cabinet minister, the country has continued its intensive bombardment of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the territory's south, as it seeks to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian militant group behind the Oct. 7 attacks. More than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the last three months, according to the territory's health ministry, and most of the population has been displaced.

This photograph taken on Jan. 15, 2024, from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from the Israeli border with Gaza shows an Israeli armored vehicles convoy returning from the Palestinian territory on Jan. 15, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

A picture taken from the Israeli border with Gaza shows Israeli soldiers in an armored vehicles convoy returning from the Palestinian territory on Jan. 15, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip, in a position near the Israel-Gaza border, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. Sunday marks 100 days of war between Israel and Hamas after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7th, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 others hostage. In the Gaza Strip, health authorities say the death toll already has eclipsed 23,000 people.

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip, in a position near the Israel-Gaza border, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. Sunday marks 100 days of war between Israel and Hamas after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7th, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 others hostage. In the Gaza Strip, health authorities say the death toll already has eclipsed 23,000 people.

People prepare food in a damaged house following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 13, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Jan. 13, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Jan. 13, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Jan. 13, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

People mourn as they wait to collect the bodies of friends and relatives killed in an airstrike on Jan. 13, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza. Despite Israel's recent troop drawdown in Gaza and the discussion of postwar plans by an Israeli cabinet minister, the country has continued its intensive bombardment of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the territory's south, as it seeks to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian militant group behind the Oct. 7 attacks. More than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the last three months, according to the territory's health ministry, and most of the population has been displaced.

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on Jan. 12, 2024, shows Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Palestinians wounded in an Israeli strike are treated in a hospital in Kahan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike in Kahan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.

Israeli soldiers stand on a tank near the border with Gaza on Jan. 12, 2024, in southern Border, Israel. Prior to announcing the withdrawal of some troops from Gaza one week ago, Israel extended its ground offensive into densely populated neighborhoods in the central part of the territory, forcing a fresh wave of displacement to the south. Meanwhile, its aerial campaign continued apace across the territory as it sought to destroy Hamas following the militant group's Oct. 7 attack, which left 1,200 dead and scores of Israelis held hostage. In the ensuing war, more than 21,000 have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry

Palestinian wounded in Israeli bombardment, receives treatment at the hospital in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.

Palestinian mourners react over the bodies of members of the al-Orjani family, after they were killed during Israeli bombardment, on January 11, 2024 at al Najar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Men check the damages to the house of the Palestinian Nofal family, who were killed during Israeli bombardment, on January 10, 2024 in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli army troops are seen next to a destroyed building during a ground operation in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, Jan. 10. 2024.

Israeli troops enter Nablus during a raid on the occupied West Bank city on Jan. 10, 2024. Violence has flared in the West Bank since the war between Israel and Hamas triggered by the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel.

A Palestinian boy runs for cover as Israeli troops enter Nablus during a raid on the occupied West Bank city on Jan. 10, 2024. Violence has flared in the West Bank since the war between Israel and Hamas triggered by the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

This picture taken on Jan. 9, 2024, from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli army tank rolling in the center of the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group.

Israeli soldiers drive a military jeep at a position in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip on Jan. 9, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Fire and smoke rise as Israeli security forces demolish the home of two Hamas militants in the Palestinian east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. Israel says the Hamas gunmen carried out a deadly shooting attack at a Jerusalem bus stop in November.

A Palestinian injured in Israeli air strikes is transferred to Kuwait Hospital on January 8, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza.

People check the car in which two journalists,Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for AFP news agency, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, a journalist with Al Jazeera television network, were killed in a reported Israeli strike in Rafah in the Gaza Strip on January 7, 2024. Hamza's father Wael al-Dahdouh is Al Jazeera's bureau chief in the Gaza Strip, and was also recently wounded in a strike. His wife and two children were killed by a separate Israeli strike in the initial weeks of the war. Thuria had worked with AFP since 2019.

Family and friends mourn near the grave during a funeral for Sgt. Shai Garmai on January 7, 2024 in Karmiel, Israel. According to Israeli authorities, the border police officer was killed when her vehicle hit a buried explosive device amid clashes in the West Bank city of Jenin early this morning.

A man looks on as smoke billows above buildings in the Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees near the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, during an ongoing Israeli raid on January 4, 2024.

Members of the Israeli security forces remove a man at a checkpoint near Lion's Gate as Muslim worshippers wait to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the Friday Noon prayer in Jerusalem on January 5, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict.

Palestinian demonstrators wave Hamas and their national flags during a protest against the killing of top Hamas official Saleh Arouri in Beirut, in the West Bank town of Arura, on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Israeli soldiers sit at the back of a military vehicle driving in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 5, 2024 amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from a position in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip, shows Israeli army vehicles in the Gaza Strip as smoke billows during Israeli bombardment on January 5, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

A woman holds a child as she inspects the damage following Israeli bombardment in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip on January 5, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

An Israeli soldier wearing tefillin (phylactery), small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, prays at a position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Jan. 3, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions, as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

An elderly man and boy watch as mourners carry the body of 29-year-old Usayd Bani Odeh, who was reportedly killed during an Israeli raid, during his funeral in the village of Tamun, south of Tubas on Jan. 4, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

An Israeli soldier signs a bomb in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel as an artillery unit shells southern Lebanon on Jan. 4, 2024. Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against all-out conflict after Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi, in a visit to the Lebanese border, said troops were "in very high readiness."

People inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following strikes on the town of Naqura in southern Lebanon close to the border with northern Israel on January 4, 2024. Four Hezbollah fighters were killed overnight in southern Lebanon, the Iran-backed movement announced on Jan. 4, in what Lebanese state media said were Israeli strikes on the border town of Naqura.

Smoke rises during Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip pictured from a position along the border in southern Israel on Jan. 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli soldiers work on their tank in a staging area at the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on Jan. 3, 2024, shows an Israeli soldier holding a rocket launcher during operations inside the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment on Khan Yunis from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early on Jan. 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Relatives gather by the bodies of the Jabalieh family who were killed when the building where they were sheltering was hit by Israeli bombardment, at the morgue of al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

An Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) flies over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

This picture taken on Jan. 3, 2024, shows a view of a buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in the central Gaza Strip from a position across the border in southern Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli soldiers cover their ears as they fire mortar rounds from an armored vehicle at a position along the border in southern Israel on Jan. 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli security forces arrest Palestinian men during a military raid in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, West Bank on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.

Soldiers place the coffin in the grave during a funeral for Sgt. 1st Class Amichai Yisrael Yehoshua Oster on Jan. 2, 2024, in the settlement of Karnei Shomron, West Bank. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the reservist was killed by an explosive device while fighting in northern Gaza on Monday.

People inspect the damage to their homes caused by Israeli air strikes on Jan. 3, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza. More than 21,300 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war on Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The new year saw fresh waves of displacement from central Gaza to the south as Israel intensified its combat operations there. Amid the widespread displacement caused by the war, 93 percent of 2.3 million Gazans are "acutely food insecure," according to the World Food Programme.

A child holds a plate while sitting between rubble in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 2, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

An Israeli helicopter flies along the border to Gaza Strip on Jan. 2, 2024 in the Southern Border, Israel. Prior to announcing the withdrawal of some troops from Gaza, Israel extended its ground offensive into densely populated neighborhoods in the central part of the territory, forcing another wave of displacement to south.

Israeli soldiers stand on top of a tank in a staging area at the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel.

The sun rises above the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on January 1, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

An Israeli security force officer fires a sponge grenade as the army surrounds the area of a Palestinian home, believed to belong to one of the gunmen that attacked an Israel checkpoint on the edge of Jerusalem earlier in the day, during a military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on November 16, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the attacks of October 7, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli officials. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the death toll from the military offensive has now topped 11,500, including thousands of children.

A Palestinian child wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip receives treatment at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Dec. 30, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Hamas movement.

A Palestinian man evacuates a wounded girl from the site of an Israeli strike on the Zawayda area of the central Gaza Strip on Dec. 30, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Hamas movement.

An Israeli army vehicle is seen near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Demonstrators shout slogans during a rally in support of the Gaza Strip after the Friday noon prayer in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Dec. 29, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on Dec. 29, 2023, shows Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A wounded man inspects the damage to his destroyed house following Israeli bombardment in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 29, 2023, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

People mourn loved ones killed in Rafah during Israeli bombardment on the southern Gaza strip at Al-Najar hospital on Dec. 29, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

People hold hands as they inspect the damage on buildings destroyed during the Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 29, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Children inspect the damage following Israeli bombardment in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 29, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli security forces stand guard as Palestinian Muslims gather for Friday prayer in east Jerusalem on Dec. 29, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group in Gaza.

An Israeli soldier sits atop an armored vehicle in southern Israel on the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 28, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A plume of dark smoke rises over the northern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment from southern Israel on Dec. 27, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A smoke plume erupts over Khan Yunis from Rafah in the southern Gaza strip during Israeli bombardment on Dec. 27, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

Men check the rubble of a building in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, following Israeli bombardment the previous night, on Dec. 27, 2023, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. An Israeli air strike on a south Lebanon border town killed a Hezbollah fighter, the group said on Dec. 27, 2023, with state media reporting two of his relatives were also killed.

An Israeli Air Force attack helicopter fired a missile while flying over the northern Gaza Strip near the border with southern Israel on Dec. 27, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Israeli soldiers patrol along the Israel-Gaza border on Dec. 27, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Smoke billows over Khan Yunis from Rafah in the southern Gaza strip during Israeli bombardment on December 26, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

A merchant weighs blocks of firewood for sale in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 26, 2023, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel soldiers move with a military vehicle near the border with Gaza on Dec. 26, 2023, in Southern Israel Israel. Israel's PM Netanyahu announced an intensification of the fighting in Gaza whilst facing internal pressure to save hostages. Israel indicated 129 people remain unaccounted for after they were taken as hostages to Gaza during the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

Palestinian girls search the rubble of a building following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 26, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

A Palestinian mourns relatives, killed in an overnight Israeli strike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, during a mass funeral at the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on December 25, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Men recover the body of a victim killed in the aftermath of an overnight Israeli strike at al-Maghazi refugee camp on December 25, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip outside a morgue in Khan Younis on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.

Israeli soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of Staff Sgt. Birhanu Kassie during his funeral at Mt. Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. Kassie, 22, was killed during Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has been battling Palestinian militants in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel.

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on Dec. 22, 2023, shows a soldier operating in the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on Dec. 23, 2023, shows soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli army tanks are deployed in southern Israel bordering the Gaza Strip on Dec. 22, 2023, amid ongoing battles with the Hamas militant group.

Smoke rises to the sky after an explosion in the Gaza Strip as seen from Southern Israel, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023.

People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in an airstrike on Dec. 23, 2023, in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are the latest countries to call on Israel to reach a "sustainable truce" after more than two months of war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that left 1,200 dead and around 240 taken hostage. In Israel's retaliatory air and ground offensive, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli prime minister has resisted calls for a ceasefire, saying last week that "military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory."

Israeli security forces fire tear gas during clashes in the Wadi Joz neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on Dec. 22, 2023, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023, shows smoke billowing following Israeli bombardment in the Palestinian territory amid ongoing battles with the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

A fireball erupts after the Israeli strike over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Palestinians stand in the back of a pickup truck in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Palestinian women cry where a relative is believed to be trapped in debris following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

A picture taken in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 21, 2023, shows an Israeli artillery firing towards Gaza amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Israeli troops are seen near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Women and a child search for salvageable items amongst the rubble of a destroyed house following Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 20, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

A picture taken in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 20, 2023, shows an Israeli artillery battery amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 20, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip outside a morgue in Khan Younis on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Israeli soldiers organize their gear near an artillery unit near the border with Lebanon on Dec. 19, 2023, in Northern Border, Israel. The war between Israel and Hamas that ignited on Oct. 7 has also inflamed tensions on the country's northern border with Lebanon, where the militant and political group Hezbollah has traded cross-border fire with Israel in the most significant clashes since 2006.

Israeli soldiers walk in a field of orange near the border with Lebanon on Dec. 19, 2023, in Northern Border, Israel. The war between Israel and Hamas that ignited on Oct. 7 has also inflamed tensions on the country's northern border with Lebanon, where the militant and political group Hezbollah has traded cross-border fire with Israel in the most significant clashes since 2006.

An injured man bids farewell to the body of his son as they lie in a hospital, in the aftermath of overnight Israeli bombardment, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 19, 2023 amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

A woman carries bread in her destroyed house in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 18, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

A man inspects the damage in a room following Israeli bombardment at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 17, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A man carries wood in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 18, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

An Israeli soldier playing violin on a tank in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 18, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

A man carrying a child, injured following Israeli bombardment, arrives to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 17, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in an airstrike on Dec. 18, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The United Kingdom, France and Germany are the latest countries to call on Israel to reach a "sustainable truce" after more than two months of war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that left 1,200 dead and around 240 taken hostage. In Israel's retaliatory air and ground offensive, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli prime minister has resisted calls for a ceasefire, saying last week that "military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory."