UN Secretary-General ‘deeply distressed’ by Israeli siege of Gaza
New York, The Gulf Observer: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he was “deeply distressed” by Israel’s imposition of a total siege on Gaza.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities,” Guterres told reporters. “Now it will only deteriorate exponentially.”
Hamas launched Operation Al Aqsa Flood against Israel early on Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence.
In retaliation, the Israeli army has launched Operation Swords of Iron. It struck over 500 targets in overnight raids on Gaza, which it claimed were targets belonging to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.
More than 800 people have been killed in Israel since the surprise operation by Hamas. On the Gaza side, at least 560 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes.
