Palestinians have flocked to grocery stores in Gaza in an attempt to stock up for the ongoing war with Israel, which cut off food and fuel supplies after an attack last weekend. As both sides rally the troops for war, Israel is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Palestine.

The casualties on both sides will mount should Israel’s ruling class decide to put boots on the ground.  Israel has mobilized 360,000 reservists, massed additional forces near Gaza, and evacuated tens of thousands of residents from nearby communities in what looks like an expansion of the war efforts. This news comes as a former Hamas leader declares Friday a worldwide day of Jihad, calling on all Muslims to “take to the streets.”

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground maneuver” should political leaders order one. A ground offensive in Gaza, whose 2.3 million residents are densely packed into a sliver of land only 40 kilometers (25 miles) long, would likely bring even higher casualties on both sides in brutal house-to-house fighting. -Associated Press News

This conflict has the potential to get really out of control and ugly really quickly, especially because religion is involved. International aid groups have already warned that the death toll in Gaza could still go higher since Israel stopped all deliveries of food, water, fuel, and electricity to the tiny enclave while its crossing with Egypt is unusable.

Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said nothing would be allowed into Gaza until the captives taken by Palestine were released. “Not a single electricity switch will be flipped on, not a single faucet will be turned on, and not a single fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home,” he tweeted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hamas after militants crossed into Israel and killed people in their homes and at a music festival.

The war has already claimed at least 2,600 lives on both sides and that number will rise in the coming days, as Israel continues to pound Gaza from the air, Hamas fighters have fired thousands of rockets into Israel since their weekend assault.

As of now, the rhetoric is increasing and we are still teetering on the precipice of World War 3.