600,000 Internally Displaced People in Gaza Seeking Shelter in 150 UNRWA Facilities

Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)
Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)
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600,000 Internally Displaced People in Gaza Seeking Shelter in 150 UNRWA Facilities

Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)
Members of the United Nations and the Red Crescent prepare aid for distribution to the Palestinians at the UNRWA facility in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip (AP)

Nearly 600,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in 150 facilities of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.

Also, at least 40 UNRWA installations have been impacted, the UN agency added in a post on Wednesday on the social media platform X.

"Our shelters are four times over their capacities - many people are sleeping in the streets as current facilities are overwhelmed," the agency added.

Since Oct.7, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank clashes with the Israeli military, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Israel's military intensified its bombing of southern Gaza overnight after one of the deadliest days for Palestinians since the conflict began as world leaders called for a halt to fighting to allow aid into the besieged enclave.

The United States and Russia are leading international calls for a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid into Gaza where Palestinians are living in harrowing conditions.

A total of 704 Palestinians, including 305 children, were killed on Tuesday, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said, a toll the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said was the highest reported in a single day since the conflict began nearly three weeks ago.



Israel to Houthis: Whoever Harms Us Will be Harmed Sevenfold

Firefighters work at the scene of an Israeli airstrike on the Haziz power station in southern Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Firefighters work at the scene of an Israeli airstrike on the Haziz power station in southern Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
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Israel to Houthis: Whoever Harms Us Will be Harmed Sevenfold

Firefighters work at the scene of an Israeli airstrike on the Haziz power station in southern Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Firefighters work at the scene of an Israeli airstrike on the Haziz power station in southern Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Israel’s defense minister said Thursday the country would “not allow the continuation” of shooting from Yemen’s Houthis, hours after Israel launched heavy airstrikes on militia sites.

“I suggest the leaders of the Houthi organization to see, to understand and remember, whoever raises a hand against the state of Israel, his hand will be cut off. Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold,” said Israel Katz, the defense minister.

Israel would “strike with force,” Katz said, and “not allow the continuation of this situation of shooting and threats against the state of Israel.”

The statement followed a series of intense Israeli airstrikes that shook Sanaa and Hodeidah early Thursday and killed at least nine people, officials said, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel and badly damaged a school building.