Photo: Antonio Guterres< /p>
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "shocked" escalation of military activity in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces.
Over the past week, about 450 thousand Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from the area, reports Voice of America.
"Recent events further complicate humanitarian access and worsen an already dire situation– Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters at the UN. – At the same time, Hamas continues to fire indiscriminate rocket attacks. Civilians must be respected and protected at all times – both in Rafah and elsewhere in the Gaza Strip..
Over the past week, the Israeli military has stepped up bombing and other operations in Rafah, requiring the population to evacuate parts of the city. p>
Israel says it is conducting a limited operation to destroy militant infrastructure on Gaza's border with Egypt.
There is “no safe place” in Gaza, Haq said, and the UN secretary-general is again calling for immediate a humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
"He calls for the immediate reopening of the Rafah crossing, and we must have unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza.", – added Hack.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga