Amid relentless airstrikes targeting Gaza\u2019s southernmost city of Rafah and reports said that Israeli forces have conducted a military operation inside the Nasser Hospital Complex, concerns over a potential ground invasion of the densely populated border city have heightened, according to UN officials. The Israeli military confirmed on Thursday in a tweet that its special forces had conducted what they called a \u201cprecise and limited operation\u201d inside Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, the largest functioning health facility in the area.
\nIn a tweet on Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), expressed alarm over the increasingly dire situation at the hospital. \u201cAccess to the hospital remains obstructed \u2014 there is no safe corridor for those in need. Two WHO missions have been denied in the last four days, and we lost touch with the hospital\u2019s personnel,\u201d the WHO Director-General said. He called for humanitarian access and the safeguarding of hospitals by all combatants, stressing that they must remain safe for civilians.
\nThe latest situation update from OCHA, the UN\u2019s humanitarian aid agency, highlights \u201cpopulation movements\u201d away from the southern border city towards Deir al Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp. Earlier this week, the World Food Programme (WFP) expressed concern that further displacement from the densely packed city on the Egyptian border could exacerbate the plight of those seeking refuge there. Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Country Director for Palestine, describes Rafah\u2019s streets as \u201cpacked with throngs of people\u201d, noting that every available space in the city has become a makeshift shelter.
\nThe city is now home to around 1.5 million Gazans displaced by conflict. Hollingworth, speaking in a video released on Thursday on the X platform, highlighted the despair pervading Rafah, where people struggle for support, fuel and sustenance amid \u201cdamp, cold and miserable\u201d conditions. While WFP continues to provide aid to Gazans in Rafah, organizations such as Action Against Hunger that work side-by-side with UN\u2019s humanitarians warn of having to suspend activities if Israeli ground operations expand to Rafah. Meanwhile, intense Israeli bombardment persists across Gaza, resulting in further civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
\nThe Ministry of Health in Gaza reports a death toll of at least 28,576 Palestinians and 68,291 injured since October. Between 13 and 14 February, 103 Palestinians were killed and 145 injured. Israeli military casualties stand at 230 soldiers killed and 1,352 injured since the start of ground operations, with over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals killed during attacks on Israel, mainly during the Hamas-led massacre of 7 October. Some 134 individuals remain captive in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Amid relentless airstrikes targeting Gaza\u2019s southernmost city of Rafah and reports said that Israeli forces have conducted a military operation inside the Nasser Hospital Complex, concerns over a potential ground invasion of the densely populated border city have heightened, according to UN officials. The Israeli military confirmed on Thursday in a tweet that its special […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-387552","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorial"},"yoast_head":"\n