Hospitals overwhelmed as Israel steps up Rafah assault

"Catastrophe on top of catastrophe' with food running low

- BEL TREW

The few remaining hospitals in Rafah are at 250 per cent capacity and food and fuel are running out, the UN has warned, as heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants moves towards the centre of Gaza's border city.

Crucial aid crossings remain inaccessible, meaning supplies of food, medicines, tents and blankets are dwindling. The World Food Programme will run out of food for distribution in southern Gaza today and there are no tents, blankets or bedding to set up new locations for displaced people, said Georgios Petropoulos, an official with the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Rafah.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) told The Independent there could be just three days of fuel left to power hospitals, water supplies and sanitation. This could see hospitals shut down critical operations and bring to a halt trucks delivering aid across south and central Gaza.

The UN and other agencies have warned for weeks that an Israeli assault on Rafah - on the border with Egypt near the main aid entry points - would cripple humanitarian operations and lead to a "bloodbath". More than 1.4 million Palestinians half of Gaza's population - are sheltering in Rafah, most of them displaced multiple times from other parts of the strip. Israel has defended its offensive, despite facing global pressure to step back, saying it is "vital" in its battle to eliminate Hamas.

The Israeli military said Kerem Shalom crossing was open from its side and that 200,000 litres of fuel were allowed to cross yesterday. But the UN said it was too dangerous for workers to reach the crossing on the Gaza side to retrieve the aid due to Israel's incursion and the ensuing fighting with Hamas.