UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (RIA Novosti) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is concerned with Israel’s calls to the residents of northern part of Gaza Strip to evacuate, an official statement said Monday.
“UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has learned, with concern, that leaflets are reportedly being dropped by the Israeli military over the northern Gaza Strip, this evening. The leaflets serve to warn tens of thousands of residents to leave their homes and evacuate to Gaza City,” the statement said.
Earlier, it was reported that Israeli army is making phone calls, sending text messages and dropping leaflets in the north of Gaza Strip asking residents to leave their homes. This can signify a new phase in Israeli operation, which has already claimed more than a 1,000 Palestinian lives.
The UN's official statement said that, if true, this would have a "further devastating humanitarian impact on the beleaguered civilians of those areas of the Gaza Strip, who have already undergone immense suffering in recent days".
The situation in the Gaza Strip spun out of control over the past weekend, as fighting resumed between Palestine’s rebels from the Hamas movement and Israel after what seemed to be a promising 12-hour ceasefire on Saturday.
The truce was called off after the Palestinian militants refused to maintain it demanding withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and fired rockets at Israel.
Israel launched its Operation Protective Edge to put an end to rocket fire from Gaza and undermining the Hamas movement, which controls the region, on July 8.
On July 17, the Israeli Army switched to a ground assault, largely aimed at locating and destroying underground tunnels dug by militants to sneak into Israel and transport weapons.
