Gaza is facing a humanitarian catastrophe, according to a warning issued by the foreign ministers of nations that formerly belonged to the USSR. The Palestinian territory needs access to food, fuel, and medical assistance, they said in a joint statement published on Friday.

The message came from top diplomats of eight of the nine active members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), who held a meeting this week in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. They expressed deep concern over the escalation of violence in the Middle East and the high number of civilian casualties among Israelis and Palestinians.

The ministers have condemned "all instances of extremism, terrorism, taking of hostages, and other forms of violence against peaceful civilians, as well as indiscriminate use of force during military operations."

They called on the parties to observe international humanitarian law and ensure that civilians were offered safe evacuation routes from the conflict zone.

The statement stressed the need to deescalate the ongoing violence and establish a sustainable truce, followed by a mediated effort to achieve "a comprehensive, just and stable peace in the Middle East." Proposals by the UN and the Arab Peace Initiative should serve as the basis for the process, the ministers suggested.

Over 1,500 people, including hundreds of women and children, have been killed and thousands more injured in Gaza since Israel launched its retaliatory campaign against Hamas militants in response to the deadly raid last week, Palestinian Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra said on Thursday.

"The patients and wounded in Gaza's hospitals are laying on the floor as there are no beds in the ICU units, with patients piling up in front of the operation rooms," the health official told Al Mayadeen, adding that the Palestinian health sector is on the brink of collapse amid the Israeli siege.

"We are in a critical situation," Al-Qudra added in a separate interview with AP. "Ambulances can't get to the wounded, the wounded can't get to intensive care, the dead can't get to the morgue."

"Medicines are dwindling and have almost run out," Qudra added. Health officials have introduced rationing to save fuel, directing electricity from generators toward the most essential hospital wards.

Gazans have been cut off from supplies of food, water, and electricity, as Israel declared war on Hamas and imposed a "full siege" of the territory after Saturday's surprise assault killed more than 1,300 people in Israel.

"Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to ... strike the American enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle," Hezbollah Brigades Secretary General Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi said in a statement on Tuesday.
...
The warning came on the same day the administration of US President Joe Biden announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group had arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Hamidawi emphasized that the Iraqi Hezbollah has a duty to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians, citing religious commandments.

He further praised the resilience of the Palestinian nation and resistance groups against Israeli forces.

On Monday, the head of the Iraqi resistance group Harakat Hezbollah Nujaba said that any intervention by the US or any other country against Palestine would result in a military response.

Akram al-Kaabi also called on the Iraqi people to participate in Friday's rally in a show of support for the Palestinian cause.

Similarly, Hadi al-Amiri, the secretary general of the Badr Organization, said, "If they (the Americans) intervene, we would intervene ... we will consider all American targets legitimate."