Israeli forces, backed by fighter jets and drones, conducted a second ground incursion into Gaza in as many days, confirming their preparations for an expected ground invasion of the Hamas-controlled territory on Friday.

Meanwhile, U.S. warplanes carried out strikes in eastern Syria, reportedly connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, in response to a series of attacks by Iran-backed fighters on U.S. forces.

These actions have intensified the already heightened regional tensions, driven by the three-weeklong conflict in Gaza.

The Palestinian death toll has surged past 7,000, around half of which children, primarily due to Israel's extensive airstrikes in response to a Hamas incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Gaza's Health Ministry, responsible for tracking the death toll, released a detailed list of names and ID numbers on Thursday, revealing over 2,900 minors and more than 1,500 women among the casualties.

The overall death toll now exceeds the combined casualties of all four previous conflicts between Israel and Hamas, which had been estimated at around 4,000.

In Israel, more than 1,400 people, lost their lives during the initial Hamas attack.

At least 224 captives, including men, women, children and older adults, are believed to be held by Hamas inside Gaza.

The ısraeli airstrikes have resulted in the devastation of entire neighborhoods, causing a level of death and destruction unparalleled in the past four conflicts between Israel and Palestine.

Over a million people have been displaced from their homes, with many heeding Israeli evacuation orders despite ongoing Israeli strikes in the sealed-off territory.

The humanitarian crisis triggered by the war and the Israeli blockade has spurred protests throughout the region and world.

More demonstrations were anticipated later on Friday, following the weekly Muslim prayers.

The military has confirmed that ground forces have entered Gaza, striking numerous targets over the past 24 hours.

They reported that aircraft and artillery had bombed targets in Shijaiyah, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Gaza City that was the site of a fierce urban battle during the 2014 Gaza war.

The military stated that their soldiers left Gaza without suffering any casualties.

An earlier raid into northern Gaza took place early Thursday, involving ground forces battling Hamas and targeting anti-tank missile positions in an operation that lasted for hours.

The damage inflicted on Gaza from nearly three weeks of bombardment is evident in satellite images comparing locations before and after the war.

Entire rows of residential buildings have been reduced to dust and rubble, while a complex of 13 high-rises near Gaza City's al-Shati refugee camp has been turned to ruins.

The Israeli military maintains that it exclusively targets Hamas sites, accusing the group of operating among civilians in an attempt to shield its fighters.

The Israeli military confirmed that an airstrike had killed one of the masterminds behind the Oct. 7 incursion, Shadi Barud, who was the head of Hamas' intelligence unit.

Hamas claimed that Israeli bombardments have killed approximately 50 of the hostages.

Israeli officials have not immediately responded to these claims, although they have previously denied similar assertions.

The ongoing conflict has also posed a risk of escalating into a broader regional war.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed ally of Hamas in Lebanon, has engaged in multiple exchanges of fire with Israel along the border.

In addition, Israel has conducted airstrikes targeting Iran-linked groups in Syria.

The United States has dispatched two aircraft carrier strike groups, along with additional fighter jets, weaponry and personnel, to the region, partly to deter Iran and its allies from entering the conflict on the side of Hamas.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the strikes in eastern Syria were in response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed groups that began on Oct. 17.

He emphasized that these strikes were intended to convey that the U.S. would not tolerate such attacks and would protect itself, its personnel and its interests.

He said that these operations were separate from Israel's war against Hamas.

Opposition activists in Syria have reported that the two locations targeted in the strikes are linked to Iranian arms shipments to the groups in the region and had been evacuated before the attacks.

No immediate reports of casualties have been made.

Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas' capacity to govern Gaza or threaten Israel in the future but has also expressed its reluctance to reoccupy the territory, from which it withdrew soldiers and settlers in 2005.

This presents a formidable challenge, as Hamas is deeply entrenched in Gaza, with political and charitable organizations along with a robust armed wing.

Benny Gantz, a retired general and a member of Israel's war Cabinet, mentioned that any potential ground offensive would be just one stage in a long-term process that includes security, political and social aspects, a process that will span years.

He added, "The campaign will soon ramp up with greater force."

The scarcity of food, medicine and fuel to power emergency generators in Gaza has become critical.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, which provides essential services to hundreds of thousands of people, including operating schools turned into shelters, has warned of running out of fuel within days.

Gaza's sole power station ceased operations due to fuel shortages just days after the war began, and Israel has blocked all fuel deliveries.

Approximately 1.4 million of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes, with nearly half of them seeking refuge in U.N. shelters.

Hundreds of thousands of people remain in northern Gaza, despite Israel's orders to evacuate to the south, and those who stay might be deemed "accomplices" of Hamas.

In recent days, Israel has allowed over 70 aid trucks to enter from Egypt, but aid workers assert that these convoys meet only a fraction of the territory's escalating humanitarian needs. Prior to the war, an average of 500 trucks entered Gaza daily.

Nine Arab countries, including key U.S. allies and nations that have signed peace or normalization agreements with Israel, issued a joint statement on Thursday, calling for an immediate cease-fire and an end to the targeting and death of civilians. The statement emphasized that the right to self-defense, as stated in the United Nations Charter, does not justify blatant violations of humanitarian and international law. The statement was endorsed by Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco.