UN calls Gaza destruction a ‘tragedy of colossal proportions’

One month into the war between Palestine and Israel, UN agency has said a “tragedy of colossal proportions” unfolding in Gaza, where people are “denied aid, killed and bombed out of their homes”.

Al-Jazeera reports that at least 16 people killed in overnight Israeli attack on Rafah, with several casualties also reported in Khan Younis bombing.

UN secretary general Antonio Guteress has made his expression of the crisis more intense and said that Gaza is “becoming a graveyard for children” as he renewed demands to reach the elusive ceasefire.

On the Israeli side, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is open to “little pauses”. In remarks that leave little hope of an improvement of the situation with Israeli co-operation, the hardline Israeli PM suggested suggests Israel will have responsibility for Gaza’s security for “indefinite period” after war.

Meanwhile, the one-month mark since the war began has also been marked by the Palestinian casualty figure in Gaza crossing 10,000 deaths. In Israel, the death toll over the same period stands at more than 1,400, with not many reported int he last several days.

Meanwhile Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says the country is arming itself as many apply to carry personal weapons, reported Al Jazeera.

On X, Ben-Gvir noted, “Tens of thousands of conditional permits and actual licenses for personal weapons were given to eligible citizens. We have opened hundreds of new standby classes across the country. We have made dozens of simplifications and changes in the tests.”

Ben-Gvir’s comments come as the US expressed fears that a request for 24,000 assault rifles could fuel settler violence, which has increased significantly since the October 7 attack.

‘Humanitarian tragedy of colossal proportions’

TheUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has termed Israel’s actions in Gaza as “forced displacement and humanitarian tragedy of colossal proportions”.

In a tweet, the UNRWA added that “for one month, people across Gaza Strip have been denied aid, killed and bombed out of their homes”.

Earlier, Gaza officials gave a figure of six children and five women being killed every hour on average in Gaza and almost 70 percent of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced from their homes due to Israeli bombardment of the territory.

Russia cautions about Israeli nuclear remark

Russia’s Foreign Ministry says a remark by an Israeli junior minister who expressed openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza has raised a number of questions.

Israel does not publicly acknowledge it has nuclear weapons though the Federation of American Scientists estimates Israel has about 90 nuclear warheads.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday had called for the UN Security Council and the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.