'Gaza has become a death zone', UN health chief says

An internally displaced Palestinian woman who fled from the northern Gaza Strip, sits outside her makshift family tent in the west of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.

The United Nations says the delivery of aid and and water into Gaza is being jeapordised by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Source: EPA / AAP

The United Nations says the delivery of aid and and water into Gaza is being jeapordised by the Israel-Hamas conflict. It comes as members of Israel's war cabinet say they are progressing on talks to secure a new hostage release deal.


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TRANSCRIPT

The head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says Gaza has become a death zone with a worsening humanitarian and health situation.

The United Nations says the delivery of water and aid has been jeopardised by ongoing fighting in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

UN Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric says a humanitarian aid shelter housing civilians was shelled, injuring staff and killing members of their family.

"Our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, said he is appalled that a mid-sized shelter was shelled last night in Gaza, injuring staff and killing members of their family. In a social media post, Mr. Griffiths said humanitarians are putting their lives on the line and like all civilians, they must be protected."

Mr Dujarric says water, sanitation and health issues are threatening the health of Gazans with about 83 per cent of groundwater wells out of service there, and none of the wastewater treatments functioning.

At least 67 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Israeli airstrikes overnight, including in areas where civilians have been told to seek refuge.

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says talks on securing a new deal to release hostages from Gaza are progressing, amid regional talks to secure a pause in the war.

"There are ongoing attempts to promote a new hostage deal and there are promising early signs of possible progress ... We will not stop looking for a way and we will not miss any opportunity to bring our girls and boys home."

But he says if no new deal is struck, the Israeli military will keep fighting in Gaza into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, beginning on the 10th of March.

Meanwhile, British parliamentarians have called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, but only after dozens walked out of the House of Commons in protest at how the vote was handled.

"The Aye's to the right 20, the No's to the left 212, so the Nos have it. The Nos have it."

British MPs had been debating three separate resolutions related to the war - all were largely symbolic and not binding on the government.

But parliament descended into chaos as legislators from the governing Conservatives and an opposition party accused Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle of upending parliamentary procedure.

The mayhem broke out during debate on a motion from the opposition Scottish National Party, or SNP, urging an immediate ceasefire, the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and an end to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

The main opposition Labour Party, which is divided over how strongly to criticise Israel, submitted a tweaked version of the motion calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire," without the mention of collective punishment.

About 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage during Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel.

The Gaza Health Ministry says over 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s response.

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'Gaza has become a death zone', UN health chief says | SBS News