The Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have released captured Romanian mercenaries who were fighting with the Congolese army. As they passed a border, they were chastised by Willy Ngoma, who tapped them mockingly one by one.

There was gunfire Tuesday in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma, as the United Nations warned of a worrying humanitarian situation amid clashes between Congolese soldiers and Rwandan-backed rebels who attacked the area and claimed to be in control.

Unidentified people in civilian clothing enter UN base in Goma, hand over weapons to the Uruguayan Blue Helmets that are part of the MONUSCO peacekeeping force. Video credit: Social media.

Thousands of residents who fled following a major escalation of the decades-long conflict arrived at the Rwandan border, as M23 rebels consolidate control of the city of Goma. View on euronews

Situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Goma is calmer but still tense, with some violence hampering humanitarian operations, a UN spokesman said. Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,

"Active zones of combat have spread to all quarters of the city, all the neighborhoods of the city," Lemarquis, the deputy U.N. envoy and top U.N. aid official in the DRC, told reporters in New York via video from Kinshasa.

Speaking to BBC Newshour while being locked down in a UN bunker in the city, the deputy head of the UN force, Vivian van de Perre, said the M23 rebels had "established" themselves in Goma, but were still facing "pockets of resistance".

Bodies are lying on the streets. Medical staff in overwhelmed hospitals are treating hundreds of wounded civilians against the backdrop of gunfire and mortar fire.

There are growing international calls for peace talks to end the escalation of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fate of the economic and trading hub Goma is still unclear. UN officials have said the situation is chaotic with fighting continuing in parts of the city.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Wednesday, Netanyahu said in a statement, amid the Gaza ceasefire and a regional diplomatic push.

Just over three years after the resurgence of the M23 in eastern DR Congo, the rebel group's war with a government coalition saw its biggest escalation on Sunday, January 26, when the rebels entered Goma,