At least eleven civilians were killed when an Israeli rocket hit a residential building in Gaza City on Sunday, November 18. According to the Associated Press , four children and an 81-year-old woman were among the dead. According to the agency, since the beginning of Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, 81 Palestinians have been killed, approximately half of them are civilians. Approximately 720 people were injured.

Later, on Monday morning, another Israeli airstrike destroyed two houses in Gaza that belonged to a Palestinian family. According to city administration spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra, two children and two adults were killed, and 42 people, including children, were injured. Twelve to fifteen people remain under the rubble of buildings, which are being dismantled by rescuers.

In total, Israel has carried out more than a thousand air strikes on the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the operation. In addition, the Israelis are shelling the Mediterranean coast with onboard guns and heavy machine guns on warships. The Israeli Defense Forces are targeting Hamas militants' targets, including underground launch sites, training bases and underground tunnels for weapons smuggling. In turn, the militants continue to fire at Israel, but most of their missiles are intercepted by the air defense system. The number of casualties on the Israeli side is three, all civilians.

In response to rocket fire from the Palestinian side, Israel launched a large-scale military operation on November 14. Tel Aviv mobilized 75,000 reservists on Friday and the government says it is ready to expand the operation if necessary. Presumably, the start of ground combat may cause discontent in the international community. In 2008, during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, Israel came under significant international criticism due to the high number of civilian casualties.

More than 80 Palestinians were killed during the Israeli military operation