UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- "The situation is escalating as we speak with continuing projectiles being fired from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes," UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council on Monday.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it had fired at two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militants attempting to place an explosive device along the Gaza perimeter fence on Sunday, Mladenov revealed while briefing the Council.

Since then more than 40 rockets have been fired by PIJ militants toward Israel, he said, adding that the IDF is responding by conducting multiple airstrikes in the Strip and five injuries have been reported inside Gaza.

He called for an immediate stop to the firing of rockets and mortars that "only risk dragging Gaza into another round of hostilities with no end in sight."

"The indiscriminate launching of rockets against civilian population centers violates international law and must end," he added.

As for the ongoing "health disaster" in the Gaza Strip, Mladenov said stock levels for 46 percent of essential medicines have been completely depleted as of the end of January, citing local interlocutors.

Noting that on Feb. 18 the IDF enabled a shipment of medicines worth some 1.2 million U.S. dollars to enter Gaza, he said the shipment will help alleviate the dire situation.

Mladenov encouraged the Palestinian government to work with the UN and increase its efforts in helping resolve Gaza's health crisis.  ■