UN REPORTS CONTINUED ISRAELI SHELLING, AIRSTRIKES IN GAZA, WARNS CIVILIANS AT RISK

HAMILTON (Canada), Feb 11 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The UN on Tuesday reported continued Israeli airstrikes, shelling and gunfire across the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, warning that attacks on residential areas are putting civilians at serious risk, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric noted "more reports of airstrikes, bombing, shelling, navy fire and shooting in the last 24 hours" in Gaza, during a news conference.

He said the attacks included strikes in residential areas, which "put civilians in danger and adds to the immense hardship they've endured over the last 28 months."

Dujarric stressed that "civilians are protected under international humanitarian law, wherever and wherever they are, whether they cross military demarcation lines or just near them," adding that "civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected during military operations, and constant care must be used to spare them."

On shelter, he said UN partners provided emergency assistance to thousands of displaced families.

"Last week, they had provided more than 5,600 families with emergency shelter, including nearly 5,000 tarpaulins and over 12,000 bedding items in just over one week," he said, but warned that more durable solutions are urgently needed.

"This requires permission to take in machinery and materials to repair damaged infrastructure," Dujarric said, calling for the lifting of all Israeli restrictions on humanitarian operations in Gaza.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU