UN, July 28. /ITAR-TASS/. UN Security Council’s 15-member states urged following its emergency session on Monday an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to provide for the delivery of the humanitarian assistance to the war-torn region, which is home to 1.8 million.

Representatives of the five permanent members (Russia, China, France, Britain and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members called in their final statement on the conflicting Israeli and Palestinian parties to implement the ceasefire “into the Eid period marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and beyond.”

“The Security Council also calls on parties to engage in efforts to achieve a durable and fully respected ceasefire, based on the Egyptian initiative,” the statement said.

The UN Security Council members also expressed “grave concern” over the deteriorating situation, which already left hundreds killed and thousands injured.

On Sunday, Palestinian media reported that the radical Palestinian movement Hamas agreed to the UN proposal on a 24-hour humanitarian truce in the region.

The Israeli Security Cabinet decided on Saturday night to meet the UN request and agree to a 24-hour extension of the 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire, which had started in the Gaza Strip at 09:00 a.m. Moscow time (05:00 a.m. GMT) on Saturday, until 9:00 p.m. Moscow time (5:00 a.m. GMT) on Sunday. However, Hamas rejected the truce extension and its militants continued to deliver rocket and mortar fire against Israel.

The Israeli army reported that seven rockets had been fired from the Palestinian enclave on Israel on Sunday morning. Two of them were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system while the other five exploded on the Israeli territory.

A rocket that exploded in the town of Petah Tikva in central Israel wounded one Israeli citizen. Another three rockets were fired by Hamas militants on Israel on Saturday night.

Mortar fire by Palestinian militants on Saturday killed one and wounded another Israeli serviceman.

Hamas militants set a course for liberation of Israel-occupied Palestinian territories right from the start of their activity on December 14, 1987. The group has made a few dozen terrorist attacks against military and civilian facilities of Israel.

Hamas regularly shells Israel’s territory with homemade rockets. In response, Israel shells Gaza and holds military operations there to suppress militant activity and destroy Hamas’ military structure. According to Hamas, 1,365 Israelis died in 1987-2011 in terrorist attacks made by its militants.