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Aid supplied to Gaza during truce barely meets 1% of its needs — official

"We call on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to resume operations in the Gaza Strip, including in its northern areas," he added

RABAT, December 1. /TASS/. The overall volume of assistance the Gaza Strip received during the truce was only enough to cover one percent of its needs, the enclave’s government said.

"Assistance that reached the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire does not exceed one percent of its needs," the Al Jazeera television channel said, citing a Gaza official. "We call on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to resume operations in the Gaza Strip, including in its northern areas."

According to the official, more than 6,500 people have been reported missing in the Gaza Strip since the launch of Israel’s operation in early October. "Thousands of bodies are still under the debris and we cannot find them," he said.

"Palestinians are suffering from Israel’s policy of starving," he added.

On November 22, Hamas announced an agreement with Israel, which was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, on a four-day humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire took effect at 7:00 a.m. local time (5:00 a.m. GMT) on November 24. The deal stipulated the release of Israeli women and children being held hostage in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.

Israel said it was ready to extend the truce for an additional day in exchange for the release of ten more hostages, vowing to free 30 Palestinian prisoners every time. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on the morning of December 1 that Hamas had violated the truce in Gaza and opened fire on Israeli territory, thus prompting the IDF to resume combat operations in the Gaza Strip.