Israeli forces say some 8,00,000 have fled south

A Palestinian family walks past rubble in Rafah. Pics/AP

Israeli ground forces attacked Hamas militants and infrastructure on Tuesday in northern Gaza, which the military said some 800,000 people have fled since the war began more than three weeks ago, even as warplanes continued to strike from end to end of the sealed-off territory. Buoyed by the first successful rescue of a captive held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a cease-fire and again vowed to crush the militant group's ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel again.

More than half the territory's 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes, with many even hundreds of thousands sheltering in packed UN-run schools-turned-shelters or in hospitals alongside thousands of wounded patients. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said that nearly 672,000 Palestinians are sheltering in its schools and other facilities, which is four times their capacity.

People carry sacks filled with cardboard to use for fire-making

Biden admin urges swift aid for Israel, Ukraine

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the case Tuesday that the US should immediately send aid to Israel and Ukraine, testifying at a Senate hearing as the administration's massive $105 billion emergency aid request for conflicts in those countries and others has already hit roadblocks in the divided Congress.

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