Israel pressed its blistering assault in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as fears grew over a push into Rafah, the southern city teeming with civilians uprooted by the nearly four-month war.
A barrage of air strikes and tank fire rocked Khan Yunis overnight and through the day, an AFP journalist said of the main city in southern Gaza that has been the focus of Israel’s offensive.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said more than 100 people were killed across the Palestinian territory overnight, mostly women and children. The Israeli army said its forces killed “dozens of terrorists” in northern and central Gaza over the past 24 hours.
Hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s 2.4 million people displaced by the fierce fighting have fled south to Rafah since the outbreak of the war, with their tents crammed along streets and in parks.
The city that had been home to 200,000 people now hosts more than half of Gaza’s population, the United Nations said.
Civilians who fled to Rafah have been pushed up against the border with Egypt, trying to avoid parts of the city exposed to the fighting in nearby Khan Yunis.
AFPTV images showed Palestinians gathered around a row of body bags at the Najjar hospital in Rafah after Israeli strikes.
“The children were just sleeping and suddenly the bombardment happened. God took one of my children and three escaped death,” said Ahmad Bassam al-Jamal, who also lost his father.
Hamas remained defiant, with an official from the Palestinian Islamist group that has ruled Gaza since 2007 saying it was “holding its ground” in Khan Yunis.
“The resistance is still steadfast in Khan Yunis… it is inflicting losses on the occupation,” said Mahmud Mardawi. “The enemy will not achieve anything by targeting Khan Yunis.”
– ‘Pressure cooker of despair’ –
The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said it was deeply concerned about the escalation of hostilities in Khan Yunis, which has pushed more and more people south.
“Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what comes next,” said OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had warned on Thursday that the military was set to train its sights on Rafah.
