By Linah Alsaafin and Usaid Siddiqui

    Gaza’s health ministry says 117 Palestinians have been killed and 152 wound during the past 24 hours.

    As Israel intensifies its attacks on Rafah, people are now escaping to the central part of the Gaza Strip about 20km (eight miles) away.

    Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who went missing after the family’s car came under Israeli fire, was found dead along with the two medics dispatched to look for her.

    UN chief Antonio Guterres says half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population “is now crammed into Rafah with nowhere to go”, warning the displaced “have no homes” and “no hope”.

    At least 28,064 people have been killed and 67,611 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.

    Netanyahu reportedly wants to end Rafah operation before start of Ramadan

 By Hamdah Salhut

    There is no indication that pressure from the United States and international organisations is going to have any sway on Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for the invasion of Rafah.

    According to reports within Israeli media, Netanyahu has said to his war cabinet that he believes due to the international pressure, they’ll have around one month to wrap up that operation. So that means the start, the middle, and the end, and he says before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is set to begin on March 10.

    So the army chief of staff has said that they are ready to operate in Rafah, but they’re waiting for an answer from the government on how to evacuate 1.4 million Palestinians. Remember, there is simply no place for them to go. They have not been able to go back to northern Gaza. They have been displaced multiple times, forced to flee throughout the entirety of these four months.