The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick, on Monday called for urgent measures to be taken to alleviate the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and respect international humanitarian law and human rights.

McGoldrick said in a statement: "Israel has limited the transfer of certain goods into the blockaded coastal enclave, reduced the permissible fishing area and prevented fuel deliveries, including the UN-facilitated fuel for Gaza’s sole Power Plant," and this led to reducing electricity availability across the Strip to nearly two million Palestinians.

The UN official added: "On 24 August, the first cases of COVID-19 outside the quarantine facilities were confirmed," stressing that this marked "a significant deterioration in the health situation".

In addition, he warned that the current situation hinders service delivery in the quarantine facilities and the ability of the health system to cope with the increasing cases of infection with coronavirus.

McGoldrick confirmed that all parties should work to protect civilians and respect their dignity and human rights.

It is worth noting that McGoldrick’s statement was issued hours before a deal was struck between Palestinian factions and Israel which allowed fuel supplies to be brought into the Strip.