Not extending humanitarian pause in Gaza would be 'dark stain' on everyone's conscience: UNICEF

GENEVA

Failure to extend the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip would be a "dark stain on everyone's conscience," a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson said on Tuesday.

James Elder's remarks came in response to a question by Anadolu on what to expect if the current pause in Israeli attacks on Gaza is not extended or turned into a cease-fire.

Elder also stressed that the Israeli attacks and "mass killings" in Gaza cannot be allowed to continue at the intensity of the several weeks following Oct. 7.

Israeli officials have said that at the end of the humanitarian pause in Gaza, now in its fifth day and set to go on for a sixth, the army would resume its military offensive on the enclave..

Qatar announced an agreement late Monday to extend the initial four-day humanitarian pause for an additional two days, under which further prisoner exchanges will be carried out.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.