MOSCOW, July 14. /ITAR-TASS/. The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has heightened, Palestine’s ambassador to Russia has said.

“Urgent humanitarian assistance should be provided to residents of the Gaza Strip. There are obstacles for delivering it,” Fayed Mustafa said on Monday.

“The situation has deteriorated as a result of recent events. The Gaza Strip has turned into a real prison,” he said.

“It is necessary to immediately provide humanitarian, medical and other assistance,” Mustafa said.

Furthermore, Fayed Mustafa has urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip.

“The statement for the press is insufficient. Israel does not comply with it,” Mustafa told a news conference on Monday.

“We hope that today the UN Security Council will adopt a resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip. We call for condemning Israel’s aggression,” he said.

“The international community should take decisive measures that would stop Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people and continue searching for the fair resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Mustafa added.

Palestine calls on world community to condemn Israel’s aggression

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 173, Fayed Mustafa noted.

“The Palestinian people have the right to protect themselves. It is necessary to use all means and chances to make resistance. We demand the international community condemn the aggression and interfere into the situation immediately in order to stop the slaughter,” he said.

Israel’s offensive began seven days ago. It is aimed at suppressing the Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

Fierce clashes have occurred near the city of Hebron on the West Bank. A 20-year-old Palestinian died during the clashes.

 

Palestine ready to resume talks with Israel

Palestine’s Ambassador to Russia Fayed Mustafa has said the country is ready to resume talks with Israel.

“We believe that it is necessary to resume talks and search for political settlement,” Mustafa noted.

“There is no military solution to the problem,” he said.

“In order to resume talks Israel should stop the settlement policy on the Palestinian territories, free the fourth group of Palestinian prisoners and undertake the commitment to resolving border issues,” he said.

At the same time, Mustafa said the previous rounds of talks did not allow the parties to resolve the conflict.

“In July 2013 Israel watered down the essence of our proposals and ignored our conditions for resolving issues related to Jerusalem and refugees. Then the talks cannot continue. Israel concentrates on secondary details,” he said.

The world community “should revise a mechanism for the Palestinian-Israeli settlement”, Mustafa said.

“Bilateral talks don’t yield to results because Israel has its program and its plans. Israel wants to gain time in order to carry out its plans. We believe that it is necessary to convene an international conference that would allow us to settle the situation,” he said.

 

Situation in the Gaza Strip

Overnight to Monday, fighters of the Israeli Air Force have carried out reconnaissance flights over the territory of Lebanon after a shooting attack on the outskirts of Nahariya.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded on Sunday the Israel and Palestine take immediate steps for stopping the confrontation in the Gaza Strip. The issued statement emphasizes that the Ban Ki-moon is concerned over the deterioration of the situation in the region amid calls on truce by the UN Security Council.

At night, the Palestinian militants have fired two missiles from southern Lebanon aimed at Israeli territory, according to local TV channel LBC. The report says that artillery fire was opened in response. There were no reports about any victims among the civilians.

Later, a 20-year-old Palestinian was killed in the Western Bank of Jordan. AFP news agency reported that the young man was wounded during Israel's attack on an area near the city of Hebron and passed away later in hospital.

On Monday, Israel's missile defense system downed an air drone launched by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. The press service of Israel's defense army reported that the drone that came from the Gaza Strip was destroyed by the Patriot missile system on the seaside near the city of Ashdod.

Saudi Arabia pledged to allocate 200 million Saudi riyals ($53.3 million) for humanitarian aid for Palestinians that were affected as a result of the Protective Edge operation carried out by Israeli military.

Meanwhile, according to Israel's ambassador to Russia Dorit Golender, Israel has not made a final decision on a ground combat operation in the Gaza Strip, although this issue is on the agenda.