At least 18,608 Palestinians have been killed and 50,594 others wounded in the Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The Gaza-based Health Ministry announced that 27 civilians were killed on Thursday as the Israeli forces bombarded two houses in Rafah, Palestinian media reported. 

The Israeli army said on Wednesday it had targeted more than 250 locations in Gaza in the past 24 hours. A total of 115 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the onset of ground battles in Gaza on October 27, it added.

A top UN official told the 2023 Global Refugee Forum in Geneva this Wednesday that Gaza is now "a living hell," calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.