Fighting has raged in Gaza forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee seeking shelter, after Qatar said Hamas had given “initial” support to a hostage-prisoner exchange that would pause its fight with Israel, AFP reports.

The Hamas press office reported Israeli air and artillery bombardment around Khan Younis — southern Gaza’s main city and the focus of recent fighting.

Winter storms and torrential rain also pounded the devastated coastal territory, with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA saying on social media: “Gaza is being strangled and the world seems to have lost its humanity.”

Israeli raids targeted central and southern Gaza, witnesses said, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee, some wearing hazmat suits left over from the Covid pandemic to protect themselves against the harsh weather.

AFP video footage showed people running amid the sound of gunfire in Khan Yunis, as black smoke billowed from an explosion nearby.