More than 423,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip as a result of heavy Israeli bombardments in retaliation for Hamas’s attacks, according to the United Nations. The number of displaced in Gaza reached 423,378 as of late Thursday, an increase of 84,444 people, as reported by the UN humanitarian agency OCHA on Friday. Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip was in response to a surprise attack on Saturday, which was deemed the deadliest since the country’s establishment in 1948. The United Nations has appealed for $294 million in funding to address the urgent needs of the people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with over 1.2 million individuals requiring assistance.