UN official tours Rafah to see destruction

Rwan Abu Zaid, aged three-and-a-half, died of gunshot wounds to the head at her home in Rafah's devastated Brazil neighborhood, the head of Rafah's main hospital told AFP. The Israeli army said it was verifying the report.

Her death brought to 43 the number of Palestinians killed since the start of Israel's "Operation Rainbow" on Tuesday with the aim of arresting militants and smashing weapons smuggling -- an offensive that has drawn widespread international criticism.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

The Israeli army withdrew from several areas of Rafah on Friday in what it called a "redeployment" amid the global outcry, leaving behind streets cluttered with the ruins of dozens of homes razed since the raid began.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Peter Hansen, toured the Brazil neighborhood of Rafah on Saturday, talking with angry residents amid the chunks of concrete that were once their homes.