UNITED NATIONS, November 26. /TASS/. More than 300 humanitarian workers, mostly UN staff, were killed in the Gaza Strip in the past year, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

"The issue of protecting humanitarian personnel is more pressing today than ever before. We broke another grim record over the past year in the Gaza Strip, where more than three hundred humanitarian workers have been recorded dead, the majority of them being UN staff, mostly UNRWA personnel," he told a UN Security Council session on protecting civilians and humanitarian personnel in conflict zones.

"In the face of intense fighting, we must spare no effort to prevent attacks and acts of violence against these brave people," the Russian envoy continued. "However, there is only one way to solve this problem - via an immediate ceasefire and political-diplomatic resolution. We’ve repeatedly called for this and urge Council members in this chamber to take action. The Russian Federation has consistently supported all measures aimed at ensuring the safety of humanitarian workers and UN personnel."

Tensions erupted again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, after militants from the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting hundreds of Israelis. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and initiated bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.