Israel said that it is allowing UN emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, to enter the country more than three weeks after the start of the Gaza war.

The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry confirmed this on Monday.

His entry had been authorised at the request of other states to expedite the departure of foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip.

Israel had announced last week that it would deny entry to representatives of the UN, as it had done in the past.

It is according to the critical statements of Israel by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Mr Guterres had criticised Israeli counter-attacks in the Gaza Strip and spoke of clear violations of international humanitarian law.

He condemned the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 but said it had not taken place in a vacuum, referring to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Terrorists carried out massacres of civilians in Israel on October 7 on behalf of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

More than 1,400 people died in the massacre and in the days that followed.

Militants also abducted at least 239 people from the densely populated coastal area. Since then, Israel’s military has attacked targets there.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 8,306 Palestinians were reported killed by Monday.

(dpa/NAN)