Gaza Humanitarian Cease-Fire Fails as Talks Break Down and Hostilities Roar Again
The three day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza ended after Gaza leaders refused to extend the truce after talks between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, hit a deadlock.
Hamas and Israel resumed rocket-firing against each other, killing a Palestinian boy and injuring six others according to the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs, and several Israelis were reported wounded.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry expressed "extreme regret" over the failure to extend the truce and urged restraint by both sides, calling for a new cease-fire in order to resume negotiations.
Hamas wants Israel to open Gaza's borders, after a seven-year closure that is also enforced by Egypt. Israel says it will only do so if the Islamic militants disarm, or if they're prevented from re-arming. Hamas has said it will never give up its weapons.
"The Secretary-General expresses his deep disappointment that the parties weren't able to agree to an extension of the ceasefire during talks in Cairo. He condemns the new rocket fire towards Israel, moreover the death of civilians caught up in this conflict is intolerable," said the spokesperson for the Secretary-General in a statement.
He added, "The Secretary-General urges the parties to swiftly find a way back to respecting the humanitarian ceasefire and to continue negotiating in Cairo to reach a durable ceasefire. The extension of the ceasefire is absolutely essential for talks to progress and to address the underlying issues of the crisis as soon as possible. The Secretary-General firmly calls on the parties not to resort to further military action that can only exacerbate the already appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza."
The White House condemned the renewed rocket fire and urged both sides to cease hostilities.
"After four weeks of intense hostilities, the scale of needs is unprecedented in the Gaza Strip. Teams are on the ground assessing needs and providing relief. In the last 48 hours, humanitarian workers have been able to deliver food rations to hundreds of thousands of people. Vital repairs to water and sanitation infrastructure are underway and hundreds of tons of refuse have been removed from Gaza's refugee camps. Medical supplies are being re-stocked and more clinics are open. Mine risk education is targeting families in areas with highest contamination of unexploded ordnance and emergency psychosocial support is being provided to thousands of children. Search and rescue workers have been retrieving bodies from under the rubble in areas that were previously inaccessible," said James Rawley, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestine Territories, in a statement.
He added: "We need to rapidly scale up our response to address the needs of the people in Gaza now and in the longer term but to do that we need a sustained halt to the violence. Since the conflict began on 7 July 2014, at least 1,380 Palestinians civilians identified have been killed, including 423 children and 224 women and over 9,000 people have been injured. Three civilians in Israel were killed. Some of the 520,000 Palestinians who were displaced have returned to their homes. However, preliminary estimates indicate over 10,000 housing units have been destroyed or severely damaged, leaving 65,000 with no home to go back to. Initial assessments indicate widespread damage and destruction to basic infrastructure, including water and sanitation networks, electricity supply lines and the Gaza Power Plant, as well as damage to tens of medical facilities and schools."
On Saturday in New York, a coalition of groups to include Al-Awda Palestine Right of Return Coalition, American Muslims for Palestine and IAC are hosting a rally at 1 p.m. at Columbus Circle and a march to United Nations to demand an end to the massacre in Gaza.
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