- VIVA/Yanri Subekti
Gaza – The United Nations (UN) called on relevant parties to allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, which is under a total blockade by Israel.
"The UN calls on all sides and the relevant parties to allow us access to deliver urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
According to the OCHA, the number of Palestinians displaced in Gaza has risen to more than 338,000 amid intensified fighting.
Serangan udara milter Israel menghancurkan komplek perumahan di Gaza Tengah
- Quds
In an earlier statement, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said on Thursday that half a million people had stopped receiving vital food aid as the agency was forced to close all 14 of its food distribution centers.
In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip in response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
Serangan udara milter Israel di Kota Gaza, Palestina, Rabu 11/10
- AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File
The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.
