WASHINGTON � Democratic views on how President Joe Biden is handling the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians rebounded slightly, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The shift occurred during a time in which Biden and top U.S. officials expressed increased concern about civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, emphasized the need for a future independent Palestinian state and helped secure the release of hostages held by Hamas during a temporary truce.

President Joe Biden walks to the podium Oct. 18 to deliver remarks on the war between Israel and Hamas after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
Photos: Scenes from the Israel-Hamas war

Palestinians line up for cooking gas during the second day of the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

People react as they hear the news of the release of 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Friday marks the start of a four-day cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, during which the Gaza militants pledged to release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Palestinians flee to northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, as the four-day cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war begins as part of an agreement that Qatar helped broker. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)

Palestinians pray over bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment who were brought from the Shifa hospital before burying them in a mass grave in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)

Palestinian children wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are treated at al Aqsa Hospital on Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Marwan Saleh)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli soldiers look at photos of people killed and taken captive by Hamas militants during their violent rampage through the Nova music festival in southern Israel, which are displayed at the site of the event, to commemorate the October 7, massacre, near kibbutz Re'im, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

A man smiles as he is welcomed after being released from prison by Israel, in the West Bank town of Ramallah, early Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel's air and ground offensive. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinians ride bicycles by destroyed buildings in Gaza City on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, the sixth day of the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel's air and ground offensive.(AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)

A Palestinian man sits in an armchair outside a destroyed building in Gaza City on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, the sixth day of the temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel's air and ground offensive. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)

Viktor and Helena Brodski mourn during a memorial service for their son, Sgt. Kiril Brodski in the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. Brodski and two other soldiers, believed to have been among those killed in the initial Oct. 7 Hamas attack, were declared dead by the military Tuesday, with their remains still in Gaza. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A group of Israelis celebrate as a helicopter carrying hostages released from the Gaza Strip lands at the helipad of the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, Sunday Nov. 26, 2023. The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners in a third set of releases under a four-day truce. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

An Israeli soldier rests near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. Hamas was preparing to release more than a dozen hostages Saturday for several dozen Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, part of an exchange on the second day of a cease-fire. AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Flares rise over the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Palestinians line up for food during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on Monday, November 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

People gather for a protest calling for the return of 40 children who are among the roughly 240 hostages believed held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and to mark World Children's Day, across from UNICEF offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. The hostages, mostly Israeli citizens, were kidnapped during an Oct. 7 Hamas cross-border attack in Israel and have been held in Gaza since then. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

A nurse cares for prematurely born Palestinian babies that were brought from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to the hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Palestinians rescue survivors after an Israeli strike on Rafah, Gaza Strip, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Wounded Palestinians lay on the floor at al-Shifa hospital, following Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Wounded Palestinians arrive at the al-Shifa hospital following Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Wounded Palestinians wait for treatment, at the al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Palestinians search for survivors in the rubble of a family house of Ayman Nofa, one of the top Hamas commanders, following Israeli airstrike at Bureij refugee camp City, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Doaa AlBaz)

A Palestinian child wounded in Israeli bombardment is brought to a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Palestinian families rush out of their homes after Israeli airstrikes targeting their neighbourhood in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Mourners attend the funeral of the Kotz family in Gan Yavne, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The Israeli family of five was killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 at their house in Kibbutz Kfar Azza near the border with the Gaza Strip, More than 1,400 people were killed and some 200 captured in an unprecedented, multi-front attack by the militant group that rules Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenber)

A Palestinian child wounded in Israeli bombardment is treated in a hospital in Deir al-Balah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in a morgue in Khan Younis, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel, Tuesday, Oct.17, 2023. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Palestinians wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip for treatment in a hospital in Khan Younis, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Wounded Palestinians sit on the floor at the al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Mourners attend the funeral of the Kotz family in Gan Yavne, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The Israeli family of five was killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 at their house in Kibbutz Kfar Azza near the border with the Gaza Strip, More than 1,400 people were killed and some 200 captured in an unprecedented, multi-front attack by the militant group that rules Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenber)

Palestinians look for survivors of the Israeli bombardment of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Mourners attend the funeral of the Kotz family in Gan Yavne, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The Israeli family of five was killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 at their house in Kibbutz Kfar Azza near the border with the Gaza Strip, More than 1,400 people were killed and some 200 captured in an unprecedented, multi-front attack by the militant group that rules Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Friday, Oct.13, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Thursday, Oct.12, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli tanks head toward the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Thursday, Oct.12, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A Palestinian child wounded in Israeli strikes is treated at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Ali Mahmoud)

Palestinians inspect the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike at Al Shati Refugee Camp Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. Israel's retaliation has escalated after Gaza's militant Hamas rulers launched an unprecedented attack on Israel Saturday, killing over 1,200 Israelis and taking captive dozens. Heavy Israeli airstrikes on the enclave has killed over 1,200 Palestinians. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

An Israeli soldier mistakenly thinks he hears an air raid siren and jumps to the ground to take cover in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from Neraby Gaza Strip Saturday when they killed and captured many Israelis. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A Hamas militant in a body bag is seen in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from Neraby Gaza Strip Saturday when they killed and captured many Israelis. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli soldiers work on a tank near the Israeli Gaza border, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks before boarding a plane, Wednesday Oct. 11, 2023, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to Israel. President Joe Biden is dispatching his top diplomat to Israel on an urgent mission to show U.S. support after the unprecedented attack by Hamas militants. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam, during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Adam was killed by Hamas militants on Saturday as they carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack that killed over 1,000 Israelis. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Destruction from Israeli aerial bombardment is seen in Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations, killing hundreds and taking captives. Palestinian health officials reported hundreds of deaths from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

An Israeli soldier walks by a house destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from Neraby Gaza Strip Saturday when they killed and captured many Israelis. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

An Israeli soldier stands over the body of a Hamas militant in Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from nearby Gaza Strip Saturday, who killed and captured many Israelis. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Brazilians who were caught in the latest Israel-Palestinian war kneel down in thanks on the tarmac as journalists cover their arrival to the Air Force air base in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The Brazilian Air Force flew its citizens home, first landing in Brasilia. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Israelis take cover from the incoming rocket fire from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israelis take cover from incoming rocket fire from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A Palestinian walks through the destruction by Israeli bombing in Gaza City on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Mourners gather around the grave of May Naim, 24, during her funeral in Gan Haim, central Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Naim and at least 260 more Israelis were killed by Hamas militants on Saturday at a rave near Kibbutz Re'im, close to the Gaza Strip's separation fence with Israel as the militant Hamas rulers of the territory carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack that killed over 1,000 Israelis. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Mourners attend the funeral of May Naim, 24, during her funeral in Gan Haim, central Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Naim and at least 260 more Israelis were killed by Hamas militants on Saturday at a rave near Kibbutz Re'im, close to the Gaza Strip's separation fence with Israel as the militant Hamas rulers of the territory carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack that killed over 1,000 Israelis. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Palestinians evacuate wounded in Israeli aerial bombing on Jabaliya, near Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct.11, 2023 (AP Photo/Mohammad Al Masri)

Palestinians evacuate a man wounded during an Israeli aerial bombing on Jabaliya, near Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammad Al Masri)

A view of the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Jabalia, Gaza strip, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Israel has launched intense airstrikes in Gaza after the territory's militant rulers carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel Saturday, killing hundreds of people and taking captives. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the airstrikes. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

President Joe Biden speaks Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, about the war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Palestinians walk through the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassan Eslaiah)

FILE - An Israeli soldier takes a position in Kibbutz Kfar Azza on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Hamas militants overran Kfar Azza on Saturday, where many Israelis were killed and taken captive. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Israel has launched intense airstrikes in Gaza after the territory's militant rulers carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel Saturday, killing over 900 people and taking captives. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the airstrikes. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Israeli soldiers take positions near Kibbutz Kfar Azza on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Hamas militants overran Kfar Azza on Saturday, where many Israelis were killed and taken captive. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Destroyed cars are seen at the rave party site near the Kibbutz Re'im, close to the Gaza Strip border fence, on Tuesday, Oct.10, 2023. Israel's rescue service Zaka said paramedics had recovered at least 260 bodies of people killed in a surprise attack by Hamas militants Saturday. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Students light candles in Patan Durbar Square, Lalitpur, Nepal, as they pay tribute to Nepali nationals who lost their lives in the fighting in Israel, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Ten Nepali nationals have been killed in fighting in Israel and at least one more is missing, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said. An unknown number of others were wounded in the violence, it added. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Palestinians remove a dead body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ramez Mahmoud )

A woman cries during the funeral of Israeli Col. Roi Levy at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Col. Roi Levy was killed after Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns. Israel's vaunted military and intelligence apparatus was caught completely off guard, bringing heavy battles to its streets for the first time in decades. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

An Israeli firefighter hands a drink to a young child next to a site struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Relatives mourn people killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Israel's military battled to drive Hamas fighters out of southern towns and seal its borders Monday as it pounded the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Yassin Mosque destroyed after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, early Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Israel's military battled to drive Hamas fighters out of southern towns and seal its borders Monday as it pounded the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Palestinian civil defense crew looks through a house that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)

Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations, killing hundreds and taking captives. Palestinian health officials reported scores of deaths from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Palestinian relatives mourn over the body of Ahmad Awawda, 19, who was killed in clashes with Israeli troops near the city of Nablus the previous day, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Jenin, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. Awawda was a member of the Jenin Battalion armed group, mainly made up of very young people. He was killed in a firefight. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Israeli police retrieve weapons used by militants outside a police station that was overrun by Hamas gunmen on Saturday, in Sderot, Israel, Sunday, Oct.8, 2023. Hamas militants stormed over the border fence Saturday, killing hundreds of Israelis in surrounding communities. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Palestinians walk by the rubble of a building after it was struck by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea, killing hundreds and taking captives. Palestinian health officials reported scores of deaths from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

A Palestinian child walks with a bicycle by the rubble of a building after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea, killing hundreds and taking captives. Palestinian health officials reported scores of deaths from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building after it was struck by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea, killing hundreds and taking captives. Palestinian health officials reported scores of deaths from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

People stand outside a mosque destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. The Hamas militants broke out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and rampaged through nearby Israeli communities, taking captives, while Israel's retaliation strikes leveled buildings in Gaza. (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)

Palestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian, center, from Kibbutz Kfar Azza into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Israeli soldiers head south near Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip infiltrated Saturday into southern Israel and fired thousands of rockets into the country while Israel began striking targets in Gaza in response. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Palestinians celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. (AP Photo/Hassan Eslaiah)

Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The rockets were fired as Hamas announced a new operation against Israel. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israeli police officers evacuate a family from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The rockets were fired as Hamas announced a new operation against Israel. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Palestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian, center, from Kibbutz Kfar Azza into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Palestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian from Kibbutz Kfar Azza into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Civilians killed by Palestinian militants lie covered in Sderot, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip infiltrated Saturday into southern Israel and fired thousands of rockets into the country while Israel began striking targets in Gaza in response. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Fire and smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea, killing dozens and stunning the country. Palestinian health officials reported scores of deaths from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)