- Europa & Middle East News - http://www.kawther.info/wpr -

Gaza An Open Wound and Band-Aid Won’t Help

Ban ki-moonToo many civilians, including too many children are paying the price for the latest escalation of violence in Gaza, deplored the UN Secretary-General as he urged all sides to end the fighting.

Mr Ban Ki-moon made the remarks to the press in Cairo on Monday, on the second leg of his Middle East tour.

The Secretary-General said he was in the North African country to solicit Egypt’s diplomatic efforts to help secure a cease-fire.

He is expected to meet later with Egypt’s President and foreign minister as well as the US Secretary of State.

“The first: the violence must stop, it must stop now. All sides must provide the necessary space to aid the victims, assist the wounded and extend relief to trapped civilians. These immediate steps should open the door to a more prominent cease-fire. Second, we cannot claim victory by simply returning matters to where they stood before the latest terrible bloodshed.”

Going back to the status quo won’t solve the problem or the bloodshed, the Secretary-General noted.

Gaza is an open wound and a “band-aid” won’t help, he added.

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Works Agency, UNRWA, said the number of people seeking refuge in their shelters has exceeded 100,000.

The agency said the “huge wave of accelerated displacement” was a result of the Israeli ground offensive. Sophie Outhwaite, United Nations Radio [1].