Nearly 50 UN facilities have been damaged in the Gaza Strip since October 7th, according to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as reported by RIA Novosti.
The damaged facilities include those providing assistance to Palestinian refugees and facilitating humanitarian work. OCHA reports that almost 700,000 people have sought shelter in 149 facilities, which is nearly four times their capacity.
On October 7th, Hamas forces launched thousands of rockets into Israeli territory and declared the start of the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation. Thousands of militants infiltrated Israeli territory, capturing dozens of military vehicles and over a hundred hostages. Against this backdrop, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declared the country to be in a state of war.
The Israeli Defense Forces’ retaliatory operation, named “Iron Swords,” aims to eliminate Hamas. The Israeli Air Force has targeted hundreds of Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli National Security Council has decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the region. On October 13th, Israel informed the UN that 1.1 million Palestinians must evacuate to the south of Gaza within 24 hours in anticipation of a ground operation.
Earlier, Hamas stated their willingness to compromise on the issue of prisoner exchange.
