Thousands in Gaza flee heavy Israeli fire as death toll mounts from conflict: "It was a massacre"

Thousands of Palestinians grabbed children and belongings and fled their homes Friday as Israel barraged the northern Gaza Strip with tank fire and airstrikes. Residents said a family of six was killed in their home overnight in what Israeli officials said was an operation to clear militant tunnels.

As international efforts at a cease-fire stepped up, Israel appeared to be looking to inflict intensified damage on the Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel. "The kids are all afraid," a Palestinian woman said. "Even us adults who have been in war since our childhood are afraid. We cannot bear this anymore."