WATCH: Residents of Rafah struggle to survive amid Israeli bombardment

Israel sent special forces into Rafah earlier this week in an effort to rescue two hostages that were held by Hamas. That effort came at a cost-- Israel's bombing and clashes killed more than 70 Palestinians, according to Gazan authorities.

The city population has bloomed to more than a million people as Gazans flee the war and violence elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

Displaced Palestinians are unable to find refuge, however, after Israel is threatening a possible offensive into Rafah.

"And now they (the Israelis) are trying to push us out of Rafah," Um Nedal, a displaced Palestinian woman, said. "Where would we go? Fly in the sky? We only have angels to take our souls and fly us in the sky and be done with it all."

"They told us Rafah was safe," another displaced Palestinian man said. "The bombardment was in every direction, not knowing where to turn or where to go. We felt like we were going to die.”

Gaza's only working pediatric hospital is in Rafah, where newborns share beds and lie motionless in incubators.

“Unfortunately, we now admit the newborns and fervently pray for them, but it's exceedingly challenging for them to survive in this situation rife with infections and complications," Dr. Ahmed Al Shaer, Pediatric Specialist at the Al-Helal Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital, said. "Most of them do not survive, which is deeply distressing for us as a team.”

Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu that he is aiming toward "total victory" over Hamas, which still holds more than 100 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.

This video was produced by Casey Kuhn and edited by Yasmeen Alamiri and Julia Griffin. Video provided by Reuters and the Associated Press.

Subscribe:

Newsletters

PBS NewsHour podcasts

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app

Find more from PBS NewsHour at

Subscribe to our YouTube channel