(MENAFN) A senior UN official revealed on Wednesday that at least 294 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to obtain humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip since June 30. Khaled Khiari, UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific, provided this update during a Security Council briefing amid ongoing discussions about a possible Gaza ceasefire and hostage release.

Khiari described the situation in Gaza as rapidly worsening, with Israeli military operations intensifying across the territory and civilian casualties rising hourly. He called for an immediate end to the “nightmare of historic proportions.”

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, a total of 1,891 Palestinians have died since Khiari’s last report at the end of June, including the 294 killed while attempting to access aid near militarized distribution sites.

Khiari emphasized the urgent need to stop the fighting, allow sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza, and initiate recovery and reconstruction efforts anchored by a renewed political commitment to a two-state solution.

He also condemned repeated Israeli evacuation orders that have displaced many Palestinians, warning that any forced displacement in occupied Palestinian territories violates international law. He stressed that international humanitarian law must be respected and civilians protected by all parties.

Turning to the occupied West Bank, Khiari highlighted a troubling rise in illegal settler violence and Israeli military raids. He urged Israel to release $2.7 billion in withheld tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, as the financial blockade is severely limiting essential services.

Khiari echoed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ warning that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is irreplaceable but faces critical funding shortages beyond August.

He concluded that a lasting resolution requires a political pathway to end the conflict and occupation, welcoming an upcoming ministerial meeting focused on the two-state solution.

On Syria, Khiari noted renewed violence threatening fragile peace efforts. He reported recent clashes in Suwayda that caused hundreds of casualties, including among Druze and Bedouin civilians, urging urgent action to prevent further escalation.

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