According to the United Nation news, A statement released in New York at the noon briefing to correspondents, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his “total condemnation of the acts of terror committed by Hamas in Israel for which there can be no justification.”

Guterres was of the view that the horrendous images of civilians being killed and maimed and others being dragged away into captivity cannot be forgotten, and called for their immediate release.

“The Secretary-General remains extremely distressed by the killing of civilians in Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold in Gaza, with an unimaginable toll on civilians”, said Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

He also reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”Every day, you think it is the worst day and then the next day is worse,” UN health agency spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said, quoting a colleague in Gaza, which remains under almost complete blockade. “Access, access, access is necessary.”

The level of death and suffering is “hard to fathom”, Lindmeier told journalists in Geneva. On average, 160 children are killed every day in the enclave and the total death toll has passed 10,000, according to figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, informed the UN news.

Meanwhile, in the Hamas-run enclave, Israeli bombardments have intensified and military operations on the ground are continuing against fighters linked to the 7 October attacks.

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In Israel, people are “frightened, traumatized and anguished for their loved ones”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO’s) Lindmeier said, before reiterating wide-ranging calls on Hamas to release the hostages. Many of those held captive need urgent medical attention, he stressed.

Echoing previous UN appeals, Lindmeier insisted that what is needed now is “the political will to at least grant a humanitarian pause and access to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population as well as the hostages in Gaza”.

According to the UN news, diplomatic efforts towards this objective have continued. UN rights chief Volker Türk began a five-day visit to the region in Cairo on Tuesday to engage with Government officials, civil society, victims and UN colleagues, stressing that “human rights violations are at the root of this escalation and human rights play a central role in finding a way out of this vortex of pain”.

He is set to visit Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza border before travelling to Jordan’s capital Amman.

UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke confirmed to reporters in Geneva that the UN has been invited to the international conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilians hosted by the French Government in Paris on Thursday, and that it would be announced in due course who will take part on behalf of the Organisation.