UN ‘very concerned’ over Gaza civilian deaths as Israel continues ceasefire breaches

The UN expressed concern Monday over the rising civilian deaths in Gaza amid continued Israeli airstrikes and military operations that have repeatedly violated the enclave’s ceasefire, Anadolu Agency reports.

“We continue to remain very concerned about the impact on civilians because of the continued Israeli airstrikes,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Dujarric highlighted reports that a young boy was among recent fatalities and that a strike damaged the Al-Aqsa Hospital compound in Deir al-Balah.

Medical sources said a 3-year-old child and a young man were killed over the weekend when Israeli forces shelled a group of civilians.

Dujarric stressed that civilians and civilian infrastructure “must always be protected.”

The UN also warned that preparations for the upcoming rainy season were being obstructed.

Local municipalities have mapped flood risks across hundreds of localities, but “insufficient funding” and limits on aid volumes remain critical barriers, Dujarric said.

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He said shortages of engine oil, heavy machinery and spare parts were hampering humanitarian efforts.

Aid groups are also unable to establish shelters in areas less vulnerable to flooding because much of the territory remains inaccessible, he said.

A US-backed ceasefire agreement went into effect in the Gaza Strip last October.

Since then, repeated Israeli truce violations have killed at least 1,318 Palestinians across the enclave and injured more than 4,300 others.

Hundreds of bodies of Palestinians have also been recovered from under the rubble of destroyed infrastructure.

More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

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