UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (RIA Novosti) - Amid escalation between Israel and Palestine, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday in Cairo called for a 12-hour extendable humanitarian pause.
Ban said this would be the beginning of a “seven-day humanitarian ceasefire, extending over the Eid period” of Muslim holidays.
The UN chief said “the people of Gaza have bled enough. They are trapped and besieged in a tiny, densely populated sliver of land, every bit of which is a civilian area. The Israeli people have been living under the constant fear of Hamas rocket attacks. Tensions are spreading further.”
The spreading has included Ramallah, for example. Ban said, “we are seeing growing unrest in the West Bank.”
On the political situation, Ban said that “the ongoing fighting emphasizes the need to finally end the 47-year old occupation and the chokehold on Gaza, ensure security based on mutual recognition, and achieve a viable two-state solution by which Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, side by side.”
Ban's press conference came after reports that the Israeli cabinet reportedly rejected the seven-day ceasefire proposal.
The Cairo press conference also featured Foreign Minister Sameh Shokry of Egypt, League of Arab States Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby and US Secretary of State John Kerry, who denied that any formal proposal had been submitted to the Israeli cabinet for a vote, and spoke of another meeting in Paris on July 26.
Late July 17, following days of shelling and air strikes the Israeli military moved to a ground invasion bringing its troops and armored vehicles in the region.
According to the recent reports, over 800 Palestinians have already died and more than 5,000 have been injured during the operation. The Israeli side has lost 35 people, including 3 civilians.
