UN Chief Says Conflict Forced Over 80% of Gazans Out of Homes

TEHRAN (FNA)- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that over 80% of Gaza residents have been forced to leave their homes amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"Beyond the many civilians killed and wounded, that I have spoken of, 80% of Gaza’s people have now been forced from their homes," Guterres told a UN Security Council meeting on Palestine, Sputnik reported.

The growing number of people has been pushed out to the Southern part of Gaza but nowhere is safe, he added.

Moreover, the level of humanitarian assistance and fuel that is being delivered to the Gaza Strip is "utterly insufficient" to meet the needs of the 2.3 million Palestinian residents, the official stressed.

"The level of aid to Palestinians in Gaza remains completely inadequate to meet the huge needs of more than two million people," Guterres emphasized during a UN Security Council meeting, adding, "Although the total volume of fuel allowed into Gaza has also increased, it remains utterly insufficient to sustain basic operations," the secretary-general stated.

In addition, the official highlighted that 111 UN personnel have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted in October.

"Since the beginning of the hostilities, 111 members of our UN family have been killed in Gaza," Guterres stressed. "This represents the largest loss of personnel in the history of our organization," he emphasized.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. The conflict has killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel and over 16,000 in the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a four-day truce and an exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. On Monday, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a two-day extension of the truce.