As the world was celebrating a new year with fireworks and festivities, Palestinians in Gaza were running for their lives and looking for places to shelter, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports from Rafah, southern Gaza.

Overnight, the central area of the Gaza Strip has been pounded repeatedly. We’re looking at an area that was designated a safe zone for Palestinians to evacuate to. There are reports of five people killed.

As of now, we’re looking at more than 85 percent of the population being displaced. Most of them are living in tents. We are seeing people queue for long hours for food and essentials in Rafah.

The centres are very small compared with the number of who need aid. The amount of food is a trickle — a small amount of rice, a small amount of bread. There are reports of people here having just one meal a day. But sometimes they go for one or two days without any food.