News - Middle East: The United Nations has labeled the attack by illegal Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank on aid trucks bound for the Gaza Strip as "horrific." Deputy UN Spokesman Farhan Haq made this statement on Tuesday in response to inquiries about the settlers' assault on an aid convoy in the West Bank.

Haq expressed strong opposition to such actions, stressing that humanitarian aid convoys must not be targeted. He described the behavior as "horrific," reiterating the UN's stance that settlements are illegal and stating the organization's unequivocal opposition to them.

On Monday, Israeli settlers attacked nine aid trucks en route to Gaza, looting and vandalizing them, and setting fire to at least one near the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron) in the southern West Bank.

Regarding information from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Haq mentioned ongoing violent clashes and ground attacks between Palestinian factions and the Israeli army in the eastern areas of Rafah city, Gaza city, and Jabalia camp.

The UN expressed deep concern over the failure to protect civilians and humanitarian operations, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding civilians and providing safe alternatives and sufficient time for those seeking to evacuate.

Responding to Israeli media claims that "the UN has halved the number of casualties in Gaza," Haq clarified that this is inaccurate. He stated that the UN has consistently used data from the Gaza Ministry of Health and that there have been no changes to the numbers provided by the ministry, only adjustments to their categorization. Haq affirmed the UN's confidence in the reliability of these figures.

Israel unleashed its US-baked Gaza onslaught on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime has so far killed at least 35,173 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 79,061 others.