International humanitarian agency Oxfam has warned that any further escalation in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel would have devastating humanitarian consequences for civilians
nternational humanitarian agency Oxfam has warnedthat any further escalation in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel would havedevastating humanitarian consequences for civilians.
In a statement released on Friday, the agency condemned the rising number of Palestinian rocket firings and Israeli military actions, saying there should be an immediate halt to the increasing violence against civilians.
'All sides must step back from the abyss before it is too late. Further conflict will only bring further suffering for ordinary people,' said Nishant Pandey, head of Oxfam in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.
Pandey added, 'Continued escalation will have a particularly severe impact on civilians in Gaza, who are already impoverished by the ongoing Israel blockade and account for the vast majority of those injured and killed in the [recent outbreak of] violence'.
More than 20 people were killed and at least 120 injured in Gaza in the past 24 hours, local medical groups reported.
The blockade of Gaza, which is home to 1.7 million people, has crippled its economy. Gaza residents are unable to move freely and struggle to access basic services such as safe water, healthcare and sanitation.
'The current escalation is having an impact beyond the violence ' this week's decision by the Israeli government to limit Gaza's fishermen to just three nautical miles from the shore is likely to significantly affect the livelihoods of thousands of families that Oxfam works to support,' said Pandey, adding that Oxfam had called on both sides to agree to an immediate ceasefire and respect international humanitarian law. (ebf)
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