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Welcome to the Voice of America’s News Words.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire over the Gaza conflict.
Escalate
For 11 days before the cease-fire, airstrikes and rocket attacks did escalate between Israels and Hamas. The conflict spread after violent confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians at an Islamic holy site and in East Jerusalem.
Escalate means to heighten or increase. If the situation is bad, some actions might escalate or worsen it. For example, pouring gas on a burning house would escalate the fire.
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
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