Thousands Flee Khan Younis to Escape Israeli Bombardment

Reuters news service reported Friday that Israeli forces shelled the outskirts of Rafah in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands had fled since Israel began its assault on Khan Younis, one of its biggest offensives since the war began.
Speaking at a news briefing in Geneva Friday, spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Laerke, expressed his deep concern about escalation of hostilities in Khan Younis and the subsequent increased number of people fleeing to Rafah.
Laerke told reporters that in recent days thousands of Palestinians have continued to flee south to Rafah, which is already hosting over half of Gaza's population of some 2.3 million people.
“Most are living in makeshift structures, tents or out in the open,” Laerke told reporters. “Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what comes next."
Laerke said that among the U.N. agencies and their health partners, the greatest fear is disease. He said there is not enough food, clean drinking water or shelter.
At the same news briefing, the World Health Organization representative for Palestinian areas, Rik Peeperkorn, said there are, at the minimum, 8,000 critically injured or sick people in Gaza who need to be sent to Egypt or elsewhere for medical treatment.
Also on Friday, Hamas leaders indicated they have received and will respond soon to a proposal for a cease-fire agreement negotiated by Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. mediators in Paris earlier this week and approved by Israel.
AFP reported the proposal includes a three-stage plan, which would start with an initial six-week halt to the fighting and bring more aid deliveries to Gaza.
Also Friday, a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates 50% of U.S. adults think Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza has “gone too far.” That is up from 40% in a similar poll taken in November, shortly after the war started, reports VOA.