Netanyahu claims 'no humanitarian crisis' as hundreds of thousands flee Rafah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday insisted there was no "humanitarian catastrophe" in Rafah, even as hundreds of thousands fled the south Gaza city amid intense bombardments.

Hamas meanwhile insisted it would take part in any decision on the post-war government of Gaza as Palestinians marked the 76th anniversary of the "Nakba", when around 760,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes during the 1948 creation of Israel.

Israeli forces have bombed Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah, but clashes have also flared again in northern and central areas which Israeli troops first entered months ago.

The upsurge in urban combat has fuelled U.S. warnings that Israel, which launched its war after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, risks being bogged down in years of counterinsurgency.

But despite previous threats by US President Joe Biden to withhold some arms deliveries over Netanyahu's insistence on attacking Rafah, his administration informed Congress on Tuesday of a new $1 billion weapons package for Israel, official sources told AFP.

The European Union urged Israel to end its military operation in Rafah "immediately", warning failure to do so would "inevitably put a heavy strain" on ties with the bloc.

But even as he announced that hundreds of thousands had been "evacuated", Netanyahu insisted there was no humanitarian crisis in Rafah.

"Our responsible efforts are bearing fruit. So far, in Rafah, close to half a million people have been evacuated from the combat zones. The humanitarian catastrophe that was spoken about did not materialise, nor will it," he said.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNWRA, meanwhile said "600K people have fled Rafah since military operations...