UN urges protection of Gaza civilians

The UN on Thursday renewed its demand for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

It said civilians “should never be targeted or used for military purposes” amid continued reports of deaths and injuries from Israeli airstrikes, shelling and gunfire.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continued to receive reports of Palestinian civilians being killed, injured or otherwise affected by Israeli military operations in Gaza.

“This includes children, as one can imagine, given the overcrowded conditions in the Gaza Strip.

"We continue to call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure; Civilians should never be targeted or used for military purposes," said Dujarric.

His remarks came after 10 Palestinians were killed and 25 wounded in the last 24 hours in Gaza, raising the death toll from Israel's genocide in the blockaded enclave since October 2023 to 73,417.

Dujarric said the bodies of 50 people, including 19 children who were killed more than two years ago, had recently been recovered from beneath the rubble in Gaza and laid to rest.

Efforts to recover bodies and clear rubble remain severely constrained, he said, citing restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery, spare parts, lubricants and other essential supplies, as well as limited access to large areas of the besieged enclave.

"Meanwhile, our humanitarian partners working on shelter reported today that 94% of Gaza's 2.1 million people need shelter and basic household assistance," he added.

More than four out of five families face "critical or catastrophic" levels of hunger in their shelters, which lack fuel, energy and essential household items, he said.