UNITED NATIONS, November 29. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that 111 employees of the world organization have been killed in the Gaza Strip since tensions escalated in the Middle East.

"It is with immense sadness and pain that I report that since the beginning of the hostilities, 111 members of our UN family have been killed in Gaza," he said in his address to the UN Security Council. "Civilians - including United Nations personnel - must be protected. Civilian objects - including hospitals - must be protected. UN facilities must not be hit," he emphasized.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 200 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.