combat area

In the latest standoff, the head of UN peacekeeping operations rejected a call on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the forces known as Unifil to pull out of “combat areas”.

The IDF said they were “urged to leave to avoid staying in the combat area”.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians remain in the combat area, many sheltering at hospitals or U.N. schools.

Spouses sometimes travel to cities near combat areas to see their loved ones for a few hours between time fighting.

More than two-thirds of hospitals in combat areas are out of service, according to the World Health Organization.