UN refugee agency calls for ‘uninterrupted’ assistance to Gaza

The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency on Monday called for bringing "uninterrupted" assistance to the Gaza Strip.

"In Gaza, we have to bring assistance at scale, it needs to be uninterrupted and meaningful, and until now it hasn't been," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in statements ahead of entering the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Last week, UNRWA said that almost 1.9 million people, or over 80% of Gaza's population, have been displaced by the Israeli military offensive.

At least 18,205 Palestinians have been killed and 49,645 others injured in the Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.