United Nations Radio

Reporting to the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East over the past month, the UN's political chief, Lynn Pascoe(photo) said increased violence has resulted in the death of 43 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier and more than 360 injuries of Palestinians.

"There was a rise of internal Palestinian violence as Hamas took action to consolidate its hold over the Gaza Strip. The fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel continues to hold, but the situation on the ground in the West Bank and East Jerusalem remains a cause for concern."

Mr. Pascoe said Israeli construction and settlement continues in the West Bank and the partial reopening of two major checkpoints was not sufficient to alleviate the overall effect of the closures. In Gaza, despite a 75% increase of trucks entering the territory, basic commodities remain in short supply and there is a severe lack of fuel.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

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