Two refugee camps in central Gaza were hit in air strikes yesterday as Israel pressed on with its offensive against Hamas.
The urban camps of Nuseirat and Bureij have been flashpoints for fighting and were struck in the early hours of yesterday.
Last night, the UN’s relief agency warned 40 per cent of the Strip’s population are now at risk of famine and added: “Every day is a struggle for survival.”
The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 100 Palestinians were killed and 158 wounded in day-long strikes.
The Israeli Defence Force said that troops and the air force eliminated dozens of terrorists in Gaza City, and destroyed a terror cell in the suburb of Shejaiya.
It also destroyed a hideout belonging to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, as well as a large tunnel system under the apartment which was part of a network used by the terror group’s leaders.
In Beit Lahia, a city by the northern border with Israel, two compounds were dismantled after troops found weapons, explosive devices and military equipment.
There were also fierce tank fire and air strikes in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which Israel sees as a stronghold of Hamas.
Israel has told people to leave parts of the city, as intense gun battles continue.
In recent days more than 100,000 have fled to Rafah, the most southerly city in Gaza, stretching humanitarian aid resources, UNRWA said.
“Over a million people” were seeking safety but “there are no spots left” in municipal buildings, schools and overcrowded homes.
Juliette Touma told the BBC: “Many are living in the open, in the parks, in the open areas, in their cars. People are searching for safety which they cannot find because there is no safety.”
The health ministry said 21,672 Palestinians have been killed and 56,165 wounded since Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 Israelis in raids on October 7.
Amid fears the conflict could spill over, it was reported Syria’s Aleppo airport was struck in an alleged Israeli air strike.
One Israeli was also wounded when a car rammed a military outpost in the West Bank.
The US was also said to be behind air strikes carried out in eastern Syria, including on a convoy that killed six Iran-backed militants returning from Iraq.
Four of those killed were from Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militant group.
