Iran ready to send humanitarian aid to Gaza: FM

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Wednesday that his country is ready to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip after Israel has ordered a full siege of the Palestinian enclave, reported Xinhua.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in separate phone calls with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In his conversation with Spoljaric, Amir-Abdollahian expressed the readiness of the Iranian Red Crescent Society to send humanitarian aid to Gaza in coordination with the ICRC.

Spoljaric said the ICRC was "still monitoring the situation," and its staff were unable to move in the Gaza Strip due to security reasons.

Spoljaric called on all relevant parties and governments to help the ICRC maintain its neutral and humanitarian role and fulfill its duties in full coordination.

In his conversation with the UN chief, Amir-Abdollahian called for immediate UN actions to prepare the ground for sending water, foodstuff, and humanitarian items to Gaza.

Guterres expressed grave concern over the situation in Gaza, saying hundreds of the UN staff in the territory are living in danger and a number of them have been killed.

Eleven employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Saturday, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Saturday launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to launch retaliatory strikes on Gaza.

As of Wednesday, more than 2,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured on both sides.