Death toll rises in Gaza, Israel warns of invasion

Israeli troops are preparing to invade Gaza after a week of fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and the terror group Hamas. Militants with the Gaza-based terror organization conducted a surprise attack against Israel last weekend. The conflict has claimed thousands of Israeli and Palestinian lives and wounded thousands more. Over the weekend, the Iranian foreign minister warned Israel against a ground invasion of Gaza, saying that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah would get involved in the war. Israel has warned Hezbollah to stay out of the area.

What is the United States doing? A bipartisan group of U.S. senators visited Tel Aviv over the weekend to meet with Israeli officials and the families of those who lost loved ones to Hamas. The White House said last week that the United States was supplying weapons to Israel and would continue to do so. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Egypt and Jordan to keep the conflict from escalating throughout the Middle East.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about how the war in Israel affects U.S. foreign policy.