U.S. pressure fuels hope for Israel-Gaza ceasefire, but as both sides stay on the attack, kids suffer the most

Ashkelon, southern Israel — There was increasing speculation by Israeli media outlets on Thursday that a ceasefire to end the deadly conflict with Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip could come within a day. But as the U.S. and others increased pressure on Israel to stop its devastating assault on the Palestinian enclave, the bombing continued, as did the steady stream of rocket fire at Israel.

During a phone call on Wednesday, President Joe Biden told his Israeli counterpart Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he "expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire." But Israeli officials, including Netanyahu himself, made it clear that their military mission was to completely stop the rockets flying out of Gaza by force, and that the mission hadn't yet been completed.