'Carnage in Gaza cannot be allowed to continue’: UN relief chief

GENEVA

Calling for the establishment of a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, the UN relief chief on Wednesday said that the ongoing “carnage” in the besieged Palestinian enclave must end.

"As the carnage in Gaza reaches new levels of horror every day, the world continues to watch in shock as hospitals come under fire, premature babies die, and an entire population is deprived of the basic means of survival," Martin Griffiths, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator said in a statement.

"This cannot be allowed to continue," Griffiths said, adding that the warring sides "must respect international humanitarian law, agree to a humanitarian ceasefire and stop the fighting."

As part of a 10-step plan he proposed to resolve the current Israel-Palestine conflict, he urged all parties to “allow UN, other humanitarian organizations, as well as public and private sector entities access to fuel in sufficient quantities to deliver aid and provide basic services in Gaza.”

He also underlined that implementation of a humanitarian cease-fire is needed to allow basic services to restart and essential commercial trade to resume.


"Such a ceasefire is also vital to facilitate the delivery of aid, allow the release of hostages, and provide respite to civilians," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army began a raid of Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, with 700 patients and thousands of internally displaced people inside. Israel acknowledged the move.

Israel has claimed that members of Palestinian group Hamas were using the hospital as a base, a claim denied by both Hamas and hospital officials.

Despite Al-Shifa’s status as a civilian facility, it has been bombarded by attacks in and around its grounds, and shortages of fuel and medical supplies due to Israel’s blockade have made medical care difficult at best.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 40th day, at least 11,320 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,800 women and children, and more than 29,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.