By NBC News staff(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121116-benjamin-netanyahu-207p.380;380;7;70;0.jpg)ReutersIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he delivers a statement to the foreign media in Tel Aviv on Nov. 15.The long-running cross-border conflict escalated on Nov. 14, when Israel killed the military chief of Hamas, the Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Israel also launched strikes inside Gaza in response to Hamas firing rockets on its territory, particularly in the south, and Hamas stepped up its rocket attacks, which included firing on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (http://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) Here is a list of key players in this conflict:
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces are Israel's military force, responsible for the airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it is targeting Hamas’ rocket launch sites and other weapons storage facilities. An Israeli airstrike on Nov. 14 killed Ahmed Jabari, the most senior commander of Hamas' military wing, the Ezzidine Al-Qassam Brigades.
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