UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged an immediate halt to
violence in Gaza, saying the Palestinian territory is in a “critical
condition”.
“In the name of humanity, the violence must stop,” he said in New York after returning from a visit to the region.
Israel launched an offensive against Palestinian Hamas militants in
the small coastal territory three weeks ago after a surge in rocket
fire.
Ban was critical of both sides for firing into civilian areas.
He said Hamas had fired missiles into civilian areas of Israel, while
Israeli forces had used high-explosive weapons in the crowded Gaza
Strip.
The people of Gaza had nowhere to run to, he added, emphasising that
participants in conflicts had a responsibility to protect civilians.
He reiterated the UN’s call for an immediate, unconditional
humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday,
which marks the end of Ramadan.
Both sides had behaved in an irresponsible, “morally wrong” fashion,
Ban said, in allowing the violence to continue despite the efforts of
the UN and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
“It’s a matter of their political will. They have to show their
humanity as leaders, both Israeli and Palestinian,” he told reporters at
UN HQ.
