Breaking News: Israel Unleashes Devastating Airstrikes, Looming Conflict Escalates in Gaza and West Bank

"We are committed to escalating our offensive measures in order to protect our troops and minimize their risk in the upcoming phases of the war. Starting today, we will intensify our airstrikes," announced IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari on Saturday. Furthermore, he mentioned that a ground operation in Gaza would be executed once the optimal conditions are met.

"Our objective remains the destruction of terrorist targets, preparing ourselves for the forthcoming stage of the war. Our attention is entirely directed towards ensuring readiness," he stated.

Three people were killed in the Israeli strike, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday.

Violence has flared in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict erupted two weeks ago.

An aerial view of residential buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Zahra City, Gaza, on October 21.

IDF soldiers clean the barrel of a tank in southern Israel on Saturday, October 21.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Muslim Palestinians take part in Friday noon prayers as Israeli police look on in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud, on October 20.

Women grieve at an event for the families of Israelis who are missing or being held hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 20.

Janis Laizans/Reuters

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images

Mohammed Dahman/AP

A man carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 19.

On Wednesday, October 18, mourners gathered in Even Yehuda, Israel, to attend the funeral of Ofir Libstein. Libstein, who served as the head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, tragically lost his life during the Kibbutz Kfar Aza attack. Friends and relatives came together to pay their respects and bid farewell to their beloved friend and family member.

A Palestinian man inspects a destroyed house belonging to the Al-Jazzar family after an airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 18.

Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Israeli security inspects debris from a rocket in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, on October 18.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, gather in Tel Aviv for the Israeli war cabinet meeting on October 18th.

President Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on October 18.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Redux

Abed Khaled/AP

Israeli security forces inspect a damaged residential building after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza in Sderot, Israel on October 17.

In Gan-Yavne, Israel on October 17, mourners paid their respects by laying wreaths during the funeral of the Israeli Kutz family. Tragically, the family of five was brutally killed in their home by Palestinian militants who managed to infiltrate the Israeli Kibbutz of Kfar Aza last week.

On Tuesday, October 17, amidst the rubble caused by the Israeli attack in Khan Younis, Gaza, civil defense members and residents work together to carry out search and rescue operations.

Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images

Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on October 16.

Palestinians carry a person wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, October 16.

People prepare to board a ship that will transport US nationals and their immediate family members from Haifa, Israel, to Cyprus on October 16.

Shir Torem/Reuters

Wahaj Bani Moufleh/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

People carry children as they flee following an Israeli strike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday, October 15.

Palestinians collect water from a tap on October 15 after Israel blocked supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel to Gaza.

People react at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on Saturday, October 14.

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Francisco Seco/AP

Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux

Israeli artillery fires on the Israel-Gaza border on October 13.

Israelis take cover after hearing warning sirens of incoming rockets fired from Gaza in Rehovot, Israel, on October 13.

Dor Kedmi/AP

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Hatem Moussa/AP

Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.

Valentin Ghnassia's family members mourned as they gathered for his funeral ceremony at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl Military Cemetery on October 12. Ghnassia tragically lost his life while fighting against Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel.

An Israeli military helicopter flies near the border between Gaza and Sderot, Israel, on October 12.

Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

Yousef Masoud/The New York Times

Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12.

A Palestinian woman covered in dust and dirt carries a child in Gaza City on October 12.

Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11.

Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

Abed Rahim Khatib/Picture-Alliance/Getty Images

Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11.

Israeli soldiers load donated food into the back of a military vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on October 11.

At the entrance of a kindergarten in Be'eri, Israel, visible bullet holes adorn a cracked window. This agricultural community, situated near Gaza, became an early target for Hamas militants on October 7.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

A boy carries salvaged belongings from the wreckage of his family's home in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

On October 10, in the village of Kfar Aza, situated in Israel near the Gaza border, Israeli soldiers were seen carrying a body. The Israel Defense Forces informed CNN that Hamas militants were responsible for a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their recent attacks over the weekend.

Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.

Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.

Israelis in Ashkelon take cover in a shelter as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on October 10.

Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Fatima Shbair/AP

Belal Khaled/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9.

A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Erik Marmor/AP

Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.

Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

Oren Ziv/AP

Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank, on October 9.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.

A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.

Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.

Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7.

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.

Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Baz Ratner/AP

Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.

A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Hadas Parush/Reuters

In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza

Prev

The IDF dropped leaflets written in Arabic in Gaza City, urging residents to evacuate southwards or risk being perceived as "collaborating with the terrorist organization," the IDF confirmed in a statement. However, they clarified that there was no intention to classify those who chose not to evacuate as terrorists.

The Israeli Military Chief of Staff, Herzl Halevi, informed IDF commanders on Saturday that a military operation will be launched with the objective of "eliminating" Hamas. "We will enter the Gaza Strip and undertake a comprehensive and highly skilled mission to eradicate Hamas operatives and infrastructure," stated the chief during his remarks to the Golani Brigade of the IDF.

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

As a ground incursion looms, the big question remains: What is Israel's plan for Gaza?

The United States and its allies have called on Israel to adopt a strategic and well-defined approach when conducting a ground invasion of Gaza. They have specifically cautioned against an extended occupation and emphasized the need to minimize harm to civilians.

While visiting Israel last week, US President Joe Biden addressed the issue of Israel's ground invasion strategy. A senior US official stated that President Biden asked challenging questions but clarified that the United States is not dictating Israel's timeline or decision-making process.

Catastrophic humanitarian situation

The situation in Gaza has worsened significantly after two weeks of intense bombing and a total blockade imposed by Israel. These actions were taken in retaliation to a violent rampage carried out by Hamas, resulting in the deaths of over 1,400 people in Israel.

However, aid workers and global leaders have expressed concerns that further action is necessary to address the dire humanitarian crisis in the territory, which houses over 2 million individuals. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has highlighted a severe scarcity of food, water, electricity, and medical resources, pushing the lives of civilians in Gaza perilously close to catastrophe. The WFP urgently needs $74 million to continue its emergency relief efforts in Gaza over the next 90 days.

CNNs Nic Robertson, Kareem Khaddar, Clarissa Ward, Sahar Akbarzai,, Ibrahim Dahman, Eyad Kourdi, Jennifer Hauser and Betsy Klein contributed reporting.