GAZA: The Israeli invasion of the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza reached the grim milestone of 100 days on Monday, with more civilian deaths, and relatives of dozens of captives still awaiting their freedom. The conflict has created a humanitarian catastrophe for the 2.4 million people in Gaza, the United Nations and aid groups warned and reduced much of the coastal strip to rubble. Israel’s relentless military campaign has killed at least 24,100 people in the Palestinian territory, mostly women and children. The UN says roughly 85 percent of the territory’s population has been displaced — crowded into shelters and struggling to get food, water, fuel and medical care. ”It’s been 100 days and our situation is very bad,” said Mohammad Kahil, displaced to Rafah, in southern Gaza near Egypt, from the territory’s north. ”There’s no food, no water, no heating. We are dying from the cold.” Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said diseases were spreading with “the clock ticking fast towards famine”. Violence involving groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria has surged since the war in Gaza began in early October. While a wider conflagration has so far been averted, fears increased following US and British strikes on scores of Yemeni Houthi targets Friday.
