UN: Gaza has become a post-apocalyptic death zone
The report by Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)
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"The reality in Gaza is a post-apocalyptic reality: everything has been destroyed, the fighting continues, the area has become a kind of death zone for the population, and we are basically witnessing the emergence of a kind of post-apocalyptic war break," said the Commissioner General of the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, in an interview with the Al Jazeera TV station.
Israel resumes attacks
Israel resumed intense attacks on the Gaza Strip on 18 March, collapsing a truce with the Palestinian movement Hamas, brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar, which came into effect on 19 January and saw the return of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of some 1,800 Palestinian detainees. Since then, more than 1,500 people have been killed, according to the Palestinian Territory's Ministry of Health, to which Israel has cut off aid for over a month.
Israeli army fires reservists who condemn war
Meanwhile, it is reported that the Israeli army has declared that it will dismiss air force reservists who signed a letter condemning the war in Gaza, claiming that it only serves political interests instead of bringing hostages home.
In a statement to the Associated Press, an army officer said that there is no room for any entity or individual, including active duty reservists, 'to exploit their military status while simultaneously participating in combat', calling it an abuse of trust between commanders and subordinates.
Nearly 1,000 reservists and pensioners of the Israeli Air Force signed a letter, published on Thursday in the Israeli media, demanding the immediate return of the hostages, even if it means ending the fighting.
