Gaza war rages on 100th day

The Israel-Hamas war reached a grim milestone of 100 days on Sunday, with more civilian deaths in Gaza, and relatives of dozens of hostages still awaiting their freedom.

There were also casualties in the West Bank, and on the Israel-Lebanon border.

The conflict, sparked by unprecedented attacks on Israel, has created a humanitarian catastrophe for the 2.4 million people in Hamas-ruled Gaza, the United Nations and aid groups warn, and reduced much of the coastal strip to rubble.

The UN says roughly 85 percent of the territory's population have been displaced -- crowded into shelters and struggling to get food, water, fuel and medical care.

"It's been 100 days and our situation is very bad," said Mohammad Kahil, displaced to Rafah, in southern Gaza near Egypt, from the territory's north.

"There's no food, no water, no heating. We are dying from the cold."

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said diseases were spreading with "the clock ticking fast towards famine".

Violence involving Iran-aligned groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria has surged since the war in Gaza began in early October.

While a wider conflagration has so far been averted, fears increased following US and British strikes on scores of Yemeni rebel targets Friday.

Undeterred, the Huthis have vowed more attacks in solidarity with Gaza against what they deem Israeli-linked Red Sea shipping.

The Hamas government media office said Sunday that "more than 100 people were martyred in the attacks last night until 6:00 am in all areas of the Gaza Strip".

Among those killed was Yazan al-Zwaidi, a video-journalist for Cairo-based Al Ghad television, "murdered by Israeli fire", the station said on X, formerly Twitter.

At central Gaza's Al-Aqsa hospital, the bodies arrived piled on a donkey cart after Israeli strikes that Hisham Abu Suweh said killed one of his children.

As civilians, Suweh said his family had thought they would be safe.

"We're shocked by what happened," he said outside the emergency ward where his wife was being treated. "We were sitting peacefully when the missile hit us."

Fewer than half of Gaza's hospitals are even partly functioning, the World