UN Delegation In Gaza To Defuse Hamas-Israeli Tension: Sources

GAZA, Feb 24 (NNN-WAFA) – A UN delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip yesterday, to defuse tension between Israel and Hamas, the ruler of the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian security sources said.

The delegation, headed by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, entered Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing, in the northern tip of Gaza, the sources said, on condition of anonymity.

The UN delegation would discuss with the Hamas leaders the humanitarian developments in Gaza Strip, and work to prevent the regional tension from turning into a major military escalation, they added.

The visit came hours after Israeli fighter jets bombed Gaza, in response to the firing of six rockets towards southern Israel. Five of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence systems and one fell in an open area, according to the Israeli military.

On Wednesday, an Israeli military raid, in the West Bank city of Nablus, killed 11 Palestinians and injured 102 others, aggravating the already tense ties between the Israelis and the Palestinians.