China boasts a massive, ever-expanding missile force that could make war in the Pacific devastating for the US and its allies.

The death toll from Israel's relentless bombardment of Gaza has surpassed 41,000, according to Gaza's health authorities. Oxfam, a confederation of nongovernmental organizations, reported Monday that more women and children had died in the airstrikes than during any other conflict in the past two decades.

The barrage of more than 180 missiles Tuesday left only scattered damage but was seen as a major provocation in an increasingly tense moment for the region.