UN helping Danes out of Gaza

Eight Danish nationals have so far asked the UN for assistance to leave the Gaza strip

The United Nations have since Thursday helped foreign citizens in Gaza to leave the war-torn region and so far eight Danish nationals have accepted the offer, the Foreign Ministry's citizen service reports.

"We have received ten messages, of which eight have requested assistance," Cathrine Uttenthal of the citizen service told Berlingske on Monday.

Israeli air strikes in response to Hamas rocket attacks have so far killed 168 people in Gaza. The UN estimates that 80 percent of the victims killed were civilians.

Borders are closed
It's still uncertain when the Danes can leave Gaza as the borders are currently closed. The UN can therefore assist in planning the exit, but there is competition for the offer.

"The security situation is fragile. Getting signed up on the UN list will not guarantee that you will be permitted to leave the country, or that your exit will happen right away," Uttenthal said.

Conflict keeps escalating
There seems to be no end to the Gaza conflict. Today Israel restarted bombardment of Gaza, after earlier accepting a truce proposal, because Hamas militants continued firing rockets, BBC reports.