U.N. Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Saturday called for an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza and southern Israel, condemning excessive use of force leading to civilian casualties and ongoing rocket attacks by militants.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban said that he is "deeply alarmed" by the heavy violence and bloodshed in Gaza, and the continuation of violence in southern Israel, and called for "an immediate halt to all violence."
While recognizing Israel's security concerns regarding the continued firing of rockets from Gaza, the UN chief firmly reiterated Israel's obligation to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law, and condemned excessive use of force leading to the killing and injuring of civilians.
"He condemns the ongoing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants and is deeply distressed that repeated calls on Hamas for these attacks to end have gone unheeded," the statement added.
"The secretary-general reiterates his previous calls for humanitarian supplies to be allowed into Gaza to aid the distressed civilian population," the statement said. "He is making immediate contact with regional and international leaders, including Quartet principals, in an effort to bring a swift end tothe violence."
Israeli warplanes pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes on Saturday to retaliate for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, killing around 200 people and wounding many more in the single bloodiest day of fighting in years, reports said.
The bloodshed took place at a time when the international community, including the Quartet which groups the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia, is making painstaking efforts to seek a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflicts -- a Palestinian state to live in peace with a secure Israel.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article