The heads of all major UN agencies have issued a joint statement calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” saying “enough is enough”.
“For almost a month, the world has been watching the unfolding situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in shock and horror at the spiralling numbers of lives lost and torn apart,” the UN bosses say.
The heads of organisation including UNICEF, the WHO, the World Food Programme – as well as charities such as Save the Children – described the “horrific” loss of life on both sides, and demand the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas during its 7 October attacks.
The statement continues:
“However, the horrific killings of even more civilians in Gaza is an outrage, as is cutting off 2.2 million Palestinians from food, water, medicine, electricity and fuel.”
The statement adds that 88 people working for UNRWA, the agency focussed on Palestinian refugees, had been killed since 7 October, the highest number of UN fatalities “ever recorded in a single conflict”.
US pushing for humanitarian pause
As we’ve been telling you, the Biden administration is stepping up its diplomacy in the Middle East to try to secure humanitarian pauses in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The CIA Director, William Burns – a former US ambassador to Jordan – is now in Israel for talks with officials. He’s called for more intelligence-sharing and a greater effort to avoid civilian casualties.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks in Turkey, the latest stop in his regional tour. The White House has said Vice-President Kamala Harris will discuss the conflict with unnamed foreign leaders on Monday. It says Harris will advance US efforts to increase the flow of aid to civilians in Gaza. bcc
