Palestinians call for UN protection after deadly Israel bombing of Gaza

Palestine called for protection for its people on Monday following a brutal Israeli bombing campaign that killed 46 Palestinians, among them 15 children.

Palestine's ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, called the strikes "unprovoked and unjustified" while addressing the UN Security Council, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported.

Mansour said: "Its real reason is barely veiled: the upcoming Israeli election and the desperation to appeal [to] and appease the extremists.

"We need protection. Our civilians are entitled to protection. Our children deserve protection.

"Do you know how it feels to be powerless? To be unable to provide any protection to your child? To survive one war and wait for the next onslaught?"

Mansour's remarks follow an Egyptian-mediated truce late on Sunday which ended three days of Israeli bombing of Gaza.

In addition to the 46 dead, 360 Palestinians were wounded, the UN said, with 70 Israelis hurt as Palestinian militants fired rockets and mortars.

While the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) faction returned fire at Israel, Gaza's Hamas rulers did not get involved.

Gaza continues to suffer the effects of 11 days of Israeli bombardment in May last year, a campaign which killed over 250 Palestinians and devastated homes and infrastructure.

Gaza's deputy housing minister, Naji Sarhan, said the money promised for the reconstruction of approximately 2,200 homes damaged in 2021's escalation did not arrive.

"The cost of rebuilding these housing units is estimated at around $100 million," he said.

Sarhan also said that Israeli bombardment this month left 18 houses destroyed, 71 others uninhabitable, and 1,675 partially damaged.

"As we condemn the Zionist entity's war crimes in Gaza, we also call on the Moroccan state to cancel the normalisation accord that emboldens the occupation to continue its crimes," #GazaUnderAttack https://t.co/I1YVzmqwkZ

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) August 9, 2022

Tens of thousands of people in Gaza have been plunged into poverty following a 15 year-long Israeli siege, which began when Hamas took over the coastal territory after a conflict with the rival Fatah movement.

Before Israel launched its recent attack on the Strip, it tightened blockade restrictions, saying it was concerned about potential retaliation after it detained a PIJ leader in the occupied West Bank.

UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland welcomed the resumed use of two crossings between Gaza and Israel, which meant that almost two dozen trucks carrying desperately needed fuel could enter.

Gaza's only power plant, which had been forced to suspend its work, was able to start up again.