UNITED NATIONS, October 13. /TASS/. Israel informed the United Nations that 1.1 million of Palestinians should relocate to the south of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours, the UN secretary-general’s spokesperson said.
"The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation."
He added that this order applies to "all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities - including schools, health centers and clinics."
Tensions in the Middle East flared up again after Hamas militants infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel declared a state of readiness for war, announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank. Over 1,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,200 have suffered wounds; in Israel, the death toll stands at about 1,500 and almost 4,000 people have been wounded.