Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and forced more than 110,000 people to flee north, UN officials said yesterday.

The Biden administration has said that Israel&s use of US-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented US officials from determining that for certain in specific air strikes.

The UN General Assembly has voted by a wide margin to grant new &rights and privileges& to Palestine and called on the Security Council to favourably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday backed a Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the U.N. Security Council "reconsider the matter favourably."