GENEVA —The U.N. humanitarian agency is describing an increasingly dire situation inside the Gaza Strip as the war between Israel and the territory’s Hamas rulers rages with no end in sight.
Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, says nearly 47,000 Palestinians have fled their homes during more than a week of heavy Israeli airstrikes.
Hamas and other militants have fired more than 3,400 rockets into Israel. Laerke says electricity across Gaza is only available for six to eight hours a day.
Citing Palestinian authorities, he said 132 buildings comprising 621 housing and commercial units have been destroyed in Gaza.