MOSCOW, August 18 The total area of the humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip has shrunk to just 11% of the exclave's territory, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports.
«The so-called 'humanitarian zone' has shrunk to just 11% (of the territory — ed.) of the Gaza Strip, causing chaos and fear among the displaced population,» the UNRWA said in a post on its page on the X social network.
The UN agency for the Near East also noted the difficult situation of the displaced civilian population of the Gaza Strip, once again calling for a ceasefire between the parties to the conflict in the region.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. After that, fighters from the Palestinian Hamas movement penetrated the border areas, opening fire on the military and civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. According to the authorities, about 1.2 thousand people were killed.
The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip, which includes strikes on civilian targets. Israel announced a complete blockade of the enclave: supplies of water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine were stopped. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli strikes on the enclave since October 7 has exceeded 39 thousand, more than 90 thousand people have been injured.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to cease hostilities. According to Moscow's position, a settlement is possible only on the basis of the formula approved by the UN Security Council with the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.