Gaza conflict taking its toll on civilians

As Israel's assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues, Christian groups are increasingly speaking out against the attacks on civilians and especially children, who make up more than half of the Gaza population.

"It is the most vulnerable – children and other civilians – who experience the greatest suffering in these situations," highlighted international humanitarian aid World Vision in a statement. "Furthermore, an untold number of children in Gaza and southern Israel live in fear as a result of the broken ceasefire.

"We mourn for all those killed and are deeply concerned with the lasting impact of this violence on the affected populations," the agency added.

On Saturday morning, the Israeli military dropped leaflets over northern Gaza to warn civilians to "leave the area immediately", according to CNN. Israeli tanks are crouching on the Gaza border waiting for orders to invade and Israeli ground troops began moving into Gaza on Saturday, according to Israel Defense Forces.

Now in its eighth day, the Israel-Gaza conflict has resulted in at least 421 deaths and 2,200 people injured in Gaza, according to Palestinian medical sources. Israeli authorities say four Israelis have died and 57 have been wounded since December 27.

The latest outbreak of violence in Gaza is the worst in terms of casualties since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Among the civilians caught in the crossfire is the small Christian community in Gaza.

"They (Christians) are not part of Hamas, they're not Israelis or they're not Jewish, they're not Muslim, they're Christians," Dr Carl Moeller, head of Open Doors USA, told The Christian Post.

While Moeller readily acknowledges Hamas has "provoked" Israel's attack by firing rockets into its territory, he highlights the amount of return damage to Gaza is "unbelievable".

"So many unarmed women and children are being killed," Moeller lamented. "It's hard to imagine this is just a response to rocket attacks to Israel.

"I think it's really part of a larger plan of Israel to once and for all eradicate Hamas as a military force."