UN agency warns Rafah is a 'pressure cooker of despair'

The UN's humanitarian office has described the city of Rafah as "pressure cooker of despair" after more Palestinians fled Khan Younis due to incessant Israeli air strikes and advancing Israeli troops.

"I want to emphasise our deep concern about the escalation of hostilities in Khan Younis, which has resulted in an increase in the number of internally displaced people seeking refuge in Rafah in recent days," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"Thousands of Palestinians have continued to flee to the south, which is already hosting over half the population of some 2.3 million people. Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what comes next."