United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for allowing humanitarian aid into war-torn Gaza as the war enters its sixth day amid Israel's imposition of a total blockade of the besieged territory including a ban on food and fuel.
The UN head took to X, formerly known as Twitter, stressing that the flow of humanitarian supplies, including food and water, "must be allowed" into Gaza, days after Israel imposed a complete blockade of the region.
"Crucial life-saving supplies — including fuel, food and water — must be allowed into Gaza. We need rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access now," the UN chief wrote on X.
Israeli jets have targeted Gazans in retaliation for a weekend Hamas attack that breached the border fence, killing 1,200 people, injuring over 2,700, and taking hostages in Israel.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,200, with around 5,600 wounded, according to Palestinian media.
More than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations said, as heavy Israeli bombardments continue to hit the Palestinian enclave.
"Mass displacement across the Gaza Strip continues," the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement sent on Thursday.
By late Wednesday, the number of displaced people in Gaza had risen by an additional 75,000 people from the figure given 24 hours earlier, reaching 338,934, it said.
OCHA said nearly 220,000 people, or two-thirds of the displaced people, have sought shelter in schools run by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
