NEW YORK: The UN peace envoy for the Middle East on Sunday strongly denounced continued attacks on civilians after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya killed dozens on Saturday.
“This follows weeks of intensified operations resulting in scores of civilian fatalities and near total lack of humanitarian aid reaching populations in the north,” said Tor Wennesland, the UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.
A devastating Israeli strike on the northern town of Beit Lahiya left 87 people dead or missing under rubble. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Israeli air strikes also killed 35 Palestinians elsewhere in the enclave on Sunday.
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Israel’s military said it increased attacks in northern Gaza in early October to prevent Hamas from regrouping.
The Israeli military has said it was probing reports of the incident, which left one of the highest casualty tolls in months. Gaza’s health ministry says the strikes have killed hundreds since the Israeli campaign intensified.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has also condemned the heinous massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
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The OIC reiterated its urgent call to the UN Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities by imposing an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, ensuring urgent humanitarian access to all areas of the Gaza Strip and providing international protection for the Palestinian people.
