Secretaris-generaal Ban Ki-moon van de Verenigde Naties heeft de hoop uitgesproken dat de Israëlische afzwakking van de blokkade van Gaza het leven in de strook land zal verbeteren. De volkenorganisatie is gereed om de hulpverlening aan de Gaza-strook op te voeren.
De verklaring van de VN:
UN CHIEF HOPES EASING OF ISRAELI BLOCKADE WILL HELP IMPROVE LIVES IN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he hopes
“The Secretary-General is encouraged that the Israeli Government is reviewing its policy towards Gaza, and he hopes that today’s decision by the Israeli security cabinet is a real step towards meeting needs in Gaza,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
Mr. Ban has asked Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordination for the Middle East Peace Process, to immediately engage the Israeli Government to learn more about the decision and the additional measures needed to implement it.
The UN chief has repeatedly called for ending the blockade, which
He did so most recently in the wake of the 31 May incident in which
The UN, according to today’s statement, continues to seek “a fundamental change in policy” so that humanitarian assistance, commercial goods and people are able to flow through functioning open crossings, and reconstruction can take place.
The world body stands ready to scale up its efforts to help
Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, reacted to
At the same time, he stressed that “for life for the Palestinians in
Mr. Gunness described the life of an ordinary Palestinian as grim, noting that the number of people who say they cannot feed their families has tripled in the last year to 300,000.
According to a UN report released last week, the ongoing Israeli blockade undermines prospects for employment and growth in
“The longer the closure continues, the more it undermines future prospects of workers and their families, in particular of the younger generation,” said the report, which was prepared by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the health system in
The blockade has meant that spare parts and replacements cannot be imported or only with great delays, engineers are unable to enter
For example, a $700,000 replacement for a derelict CT scanner for Shifa hospital in
“These essential items are just one example of the effects of the siege on
(VN:
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VN-Veiligheidsraad veroordeelt dodelijke aanval op Gaza-hulpkonvooi