The US secretary of state and the EU’s top foreign policy chief are in the Middle East today, as they attempt to de-escalate the mounting tensions in the region. In Israel, Yoav Gallant has outlined an unofficial plan for the “day after” in Gaza after the war concludes.
Gaza has become a place of ‘death and despair’ and the war ‘must end’, says UN humanitarian chief
Gaza has become a “place of death and despair” since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, a UN humanitarian chief has said.
In a statement on Friday, UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator, Martin Griffith, warned a “public health disaster was unfolding”.
“Infectious diseases are spreading in overcrowded shelters as sewers spill over,” he said.
“People are facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded. Famine is around the corner.
“For children in particular, the past 12 weeks have been traumatic: No food. No water. No school. Nothing but the terrifying sounds of war, day in and day out.
“Gaza has simply become uninhabitable. Its people are witnessing daily threats to their very existence – while the world watches on.”
He called on the fighting to stop, including the rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel, to allow aid in and to sure up security in the region.
“More than 120 people are still held hostage in Gaza, tensions in the West Bank are boiling, and the spectre of further regional spillover of the war is looming dangerously close.
“It is time for the parties to meet all their obligations under international law, including to protect civilians and meet their essential needs, and to release all hostages immediately.
“It is time for the international community to use all its influence to make this happen.
“This war should never have started. But it’s long past time for it to end.”
Source : https://news.sky.com/story/israel-gaza-latest-hamas-war-updates-sky-news-blog-12978800
