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Fighting intensifies in Gaza as Israel warns of lengthy campaign

Posted at 7:19 AM, Jul 29, 2014
and last updated 2014-07-29 07:19:21-04

GAZA (CNN) — Three weeks into the Gaza conflict, fighting is intensifying, the death toll is climbing and Israel has warned its citizens to be ready for a prolonged battle.

Efforts to bring about a lasting cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have failed to gain traction, despite calls from world leaders.

Israeli airstrikes and artillery rained down on Gaza early Tuesday as the Palestinian death toll rose above 1,100, according to health authorities.

The Israeli military reported that 10 of its soldiers were killed Monday, five of them in an attack in which militants used a tunnel to get into Israeli territory.

The conflict, once again, claimed more children. Eight of them were among 10 people killed Monday in a refugee camp near the beach in Gaza, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

The children were playing in the street near their homes when an explosion shook the ground. Holes as large as fists pockmarked a nearby building.

One boy in the neighborhood, 8-year-old Anas, described the horrific scene his young eyes witnessed.

“I saw a boy all cut up right here. Over there a man … he looked dead, and I saw a boy who was dead too,” he said.

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