The Gaza Civil Defense said today that nearly 200,000 people have returned to the northern Palestinian territory since the ceasefire went into effect at 12:00 local time, AFP reported, BTA reported.
“Approximately 200,000 people have returned to the north of the country today“, Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the Civil Defense, a first aid organization operating under the leadership of the Islamist Hamas movement, told AFP.
AFP images showed a steady stream of people heading north earlier in the day, and the Israeli army warned that several areas there remained “extremely dangerous“ for civilians.
The UN is calling for the opening of all crossings into the Gaza Strip, representatives of UN agencies said in Geneva today, DPA reported.
Among these agencies are the World Health Organization, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Israel controls access to the Gaza Strip and must allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, while ensuring the security of convoys.