CAIRO (Reuters): Israeli forces pushed deep into the ruins of Gaza’s northern edge on Monday (May 13) to recapture an area from Hamas fighters, while in the South, tanks and troops pushed across a highway into Rafah, leaving Palestinian civilians scrambling to find safety.
Some of the most intense fighting for weeks is raging in both the North and South. Israeli operations in Rafah, which borders Egypt, have closed a main crossing point for aid. Humanitarian groups say this has worsened an already dire situation.
Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing again. Around half of Gaza’s population took sanctuary there after Israel ordered evacuations from northern Gaza in October.
Gaza’s health authority appealed for international pressure to reopen access via the southern border to allow in aid, medical supplies and fuel to power generators and ambulances.
“The wounded and sick suffer a slow death because there is no treatment and supplies and they cannot travel,” it said.
A foreign UN security staff member was killed on Monday when a UN-marked vehicle travelling to a hospital in Rafah was struck – the first international UN fatality in the Gaza war, a UN spokesperson said, bringing the total death toll of UN personnel to around 190.
Amidst the Israeli offensive, Palestinian civilians in Gaza bear the brunt of the violence, facing the dual threats of airstrikes and ground incursions. The humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates rapidly as essential services, including healthcare facilities and water supplies, come under strain.
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