UNITED NATIONS, July 31. /ITAR-TASS/. The United Nations humanitarian chief on Thursday called for daily “humanitarian pauses” to deliver relief to those in need, rescue the injured and give people a reprieve from war.

Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, told the UN Security Council by videoconference that such “pauses” were desperately needed until a long-term ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas.

She said the world was watching “in horror the desperation of children and civilians that have come under attack" in the Gaza Strip. She added that over the four weeks of combat operations in Gaza more than 1,300 Palestinians had been killed, of whom 80% were civilians.