以色列征召1万6千名预备役军人，增援在加沙地带的打击哈马斯行动。到星期四，这一军事行动已经持续了24天，以色列军队继续进行空袭和坦克炮击。
以色列总理内塔尼亚胡的安全内阁星期三决定继续进攻。自7月8日以来，在加沙地带已有1千3百多人被打死，56名以色列军人阵亡。
以色列派遣特使前往埃及，讨论停火的可能性。到目前为止，国际间争取停火的努力没有取得成功，埃及早些时候提出的停火方案一直没有落实。
在暴力冲突于星期四继续进行之际，联合国报告说，又有1万5千名巴勒斯坦人进入联合国在加沙地带建立的避难所。难民总数达到22万。这是联合国预计的难民人数的四倍左右。
Israel is calling up 16,000 reserve troops to help in its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which continued for a 24th day Thursday with more airstrikes and heavy tank shelling.
The move comes a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet decided to continue the offensive that has killed more than 1,300 people in the Palestinian territory since July 8. Fifty-six Israeli soldiers have also died.
Israel has sent envoys to Egypt to discuss a possible cease-fire. So far, international efforts to halt the fighting have been unsuccessful, including an earlier Egyptian plan that never took hold.
As the violence continued Thursday, the United Nations reported about 15,000 more Palestinians seeking refuge in its shelters in Gaza. That brought the total number to 220,000, which is about four times what the U.N. says it expected from the crisis.
