The U.N. says about 110,000 people have fled Rafah in southern Gaza and food and fuel supplies in the area are critically low. An official for the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs working in Rafah says all crossings into southern Gaza remain closed, cutting off supplies and preventing medical evacuations and the movement of humanitarian staff. Some 1.3 million Palestinians — over half Gaza’s population — had sought refuge in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a U.S. threat to withhold some weapons would not deter Israel from expanding its offensive in Gaza. A limited Israeli operation earlier this week captured the Gaza side of Rafah’s border crossing with Egypt, throwing humanitarian operations into crisis.
