A senior United Nations official has welcomed today's re-opening of the International Medical Corps (IMC), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.

The re-opening of IMC in Gaza comes a week after the Palestinian group Hamas, which has had control of the Strip since 2007, suspended its operations, according to media reports.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, said “he recognizes the important work of NGOs in Gaza and is confident that a way forward has been reached in the interest of the people of Gaza.”