JUDY WOODRUFF: Fighting has raged for a fifth day between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza,
and violence spread to the West Bank as well. More than 120 Palestinians have died in Gaza,
with nearly 1,000 wounded. Eight Israelis have been killed. Rockets were also launched
at Israel from neighboring Syria, and protests sympathetic to the Palestinians erupted in
Lebanon and Jordan. Amna Nawaz has the story. And a warning: Some images in this report
may disturb viewers. AMNA NAWAZ: Palestinian protests today in the West Bank met by Israeli
army fire, a new front in the latest round of fighting in the region, today leaving 10
Palestinians dead, that after a predawn barrage over Gaza marked Israel's heaviest bombardment
in five days of fighting, responding to constant rocket fire from Hamas, more than 1,000 in
five days. Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus is spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces,
or IDF. LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS, International Spokesperson, Israel Defense Forces: It was
aimed at hitting or striking one of the most important strategic components, military components,
that Hamas has, and that's essentially an underground network of tunnels and bunkers
and command posts. AMNA NAWAZ: We have seen video after video of residential buildings
also being struck by your airpower. Why are you targeting those? LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS:
Hamas, as a terrorist organization, like many other terrorist organizations, uses civilian
infrastructure for their military purposes. What we made sure was that there were no civilians
or noncombatants in any of those buildings before we struck it. AMNA NAWAZ: Palestinian
homes have been hit in Israeli have been hit in Israeli strikes. Today, families in Gaza
rummaged through the ruin, salvaging what they could. Others near Gaza's northern and
eastern borders sought shelter in schools run by the United Nations, Hedaya Maarouf
and her family among them. HEDAYA MAAROUF, Fleeing From Beit Lahiya (through translator):
We were planning to leave during the night, but Israeli drones and jets kept bombarding
us. At daylight, we finally started moving, and we ran to the schools. We could not believe
the way our children were screaming. They wanted to leave, and we were shaking for them.
When we woke up, we found everything behind us destroyed. AMNA NAWAZ: Dr. Mohammad Abu
Selmia in Gaza's Shifa Hospital says over half the injuries he's seen are critical.
DR. MOHAMMED ABU SELMIA, Shifa Hospital (through translator): Most of the injuries coming to
Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, are serious, including women and children, old people,
from all age groups, mostly shrapnel wounds all over the body. There were also children
who had legs or arms amputated, let alone those who came torn apart. AMNA NAWAZ: You
know civilians have been killed. You know children have been killed. So, what is the
acceptable level of civilian casualty for you at this stage? LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS:
There's no ratio of acceptable. Every civilian casualty is regrettable. We want to minimize
that. But then, on the other hand, you have to understand Israelis are under constant
fire. We have eight dead Israeli civilians who have nothing to do with Gaza and nothing
to do with Hamas. AMNA NAWAZ: At the White House today, Press Secretary Jen Psaki was
asked about Israel's use of force. JEN PSAKI, White House Press Secretary: I think the president
believes that Israel has a right to self-defense. The loss of children's lives, the loss of
family members' lives, whether it's Palestinian lives or Israeli lives, is incredibly tragic.
It's horrific to watch. That is certainly why our focus is on de-escalating what is
happening on the ground. AMNA NAWAZ: Three artillery and armored brigades are now positioned
at the Gaza border. Last night, the IDF walked back a statement claiming ground operations
had already begun. LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS: That's not in the interest of neither Gaza,
definitely not the civilians there, but neither the Hamas nor us. I hope that Hamas stops
firing. If that ends, that will definitely be a step, a very important step, in the right
direction. AMNA NAWAZ: When that step will occur remains unknown. For the "PBS NewsHour,"
I'm Amna Nawaz.