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.