UN facilities worldwide flew flags at half-mast, November 13, 2023 in a minute's silence for the staff killed in Gaza. (Photo: AFP)

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said Tel Aviv and other urban areas in Israel were targeted for the first time in many days.

The Palestinian Health Authority reported Monday that total casualties from the Israeli army's attack on Gaza, which began on October 7, have exceeded 40,000 people, including 11,200 dead and 29,000 injured. Most of the casualties were civilians, with children and women accounting for 70%.

The armed wing of Hamas, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced Monday that they had informed mediators of their readiness to release 50 hostages, including women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day ceasefire. The ceasefire would end hostilities and enable aid to reach the desperate population of the Gaza Strip.

UN offices in Bangkok (Thailand), Tokyo (Japan), and Beijing (China), held a commemoration ceremony for employees who have lost their lives in the Hamas-Israel conflict, with flags hung at half-mast and a minute of silence observed. This came after the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that 100 of its staff had been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of the conflict in October.

Janez Lenarcic, the European Commissioner responsible for crisis management, called for a temporary cessation of hostilities to provide fuel to sustain hospital operations in the area.

The Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA-TCP) also issued a statement supporting a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and calling for humanitarian aid. ALBA-TCP said it backs all initiatives to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip, and urges all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and comply with UN resolutions.