OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, August 9, 2018 (News Wires) — The United Nations' Mideast envoy is expressing his concern about the latest escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special envoy who is involved in Egyptian efforts to broker a truce, said in a statement on Thursday that he's "deeply alarmed" by "multiple rockets fired towards communities in southern Israel" the day before. Mladenov's statement came amid the latest surge in violence this week, in which Hamas fired over 150 rockets at Israel which in return, out over 140 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. Mladenov says that for months, he has warned the "humanitarian, security and political crisis in Gaza risks a devastating conflict that nobody wants." He added that "if the current escalation however is not contained immediately, the situation can rapidly deteriorate with devastating consequences for all people." Israeli warplanes hit struck dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip early this morning and three people were reported killed there, while Palestinian gunmen from the territory fired scores of rockets into Israel in a fierce burst of violence overnight. The flare-up comes as Egypt is trying to broker a long-term cease-fire between the two sides.
