The United Nations said more than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip as heavy Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.
“Large-scale displacement continues in the Gaza Strip,” the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement sent on Thursday.
It said the number of displaced people in Gaza reached 338,934 by late Wednesday night, an increase of 75,000 from the figure given 24 hours earlier.
The announcement came as Israel struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip – a densely populated area of 2.3 million people – in response to the militants’ surprise Saturday attack.
The Israeli military said the attack killed 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians – the worst in the country’s history.