87 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Soldiers Dead in War's "Deadliest Day"
In the ongoing conflict in Gaza, it was reported by both sides that casualties in Sunday's fighting were the highest they'd been since Israel launched its offensive on July 9. The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that 87 Palestinians have died, while the Israeli military said 13 soldiers are dead.
The New York Times reports that most Palestinians were killed Sunday in the eastern neighborhood of Gaza City called Shejaiy. According to their report, 417 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes on July 9 in response to the 1,800 rockets fired from Gaza City into Israel. More than 3,000 Palestinians have been injured.
The death toll for Israel's soldiers is the highest in the past two Gaza offensives, the Times reports. In a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama expressed his "serious concern" about the growing number of deaths on both sides.
In his second phone call with the Israeli leader in three days, Mr. Obama also told Mr. Netanyahu that Secretary of State John Kerry will travel soon to Cairo to press for an immediate cessation of hostilities, a White House statement said.
The United States would work closely with Israel and regional partners to help bring a ceasefire into force, and it emphasized the need to protect civilians in both Gaza and Israel, according to the White House statement.
It is unclear, even with international pressure, if there will be a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza. As of last week, Netanyahu expressed that he'd be growing ground operations in Gaza after "exhausting other options."
[Image via AP]