UNITED NATIONS, October 31. /TASS/. A humanitarian catastrophe on a biblical scale is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at a session of the UN Security Council.

"It’s time to call it what it is: a humanitarian catastrophe on a biblical scale is unfolding on occupied Palestinian territory, in the West Bank of the Jordan River and in the Gaza Strip," he said.

"According to information received, the number of fatalities in the enclave has surpassed 8,000 people, half of whom are women and children," the envoy pointed out. Over 2,000 people remain under the rubble, more than 21,000 sustained wounds while internally displaced people are numbering 1.6 mln, he noted. Additionally, Nebenzya pointed out high losses among UN staffers in the conflict zone.

"These horrible figures are increasing hourly. We are thankful to all the humanitarian workers on site who are working at the end of their tether under the conditions of a catastrophic lack of basic goods, including medical ones, as well as with high risks for their lives," the diplomat said.