UN envoy backs demand for immediate Gaza ceasefire amid ‘cataclysmic suffering’

NEW YOK: The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland today issued a fervent plea for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, amid 'cataclysmic' suffering in the Gaza Strip and continuing violence in the occupied West Bank. The call by Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland followed Monday's adoption by the Security Council of a resolution 'demanding' an immediate ceasefire in the enclave for the remainder of Ramadan. He said he was 'appalled' by the immense scale of killings, destruction and suffering wrought by Israel's military campaign in Gaza, with civilian killings at an unprecedented rate. 'Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,' he emphasized. 'The life-threatening conditions facing the more than 1.7 million internally displaced persons within an ever-diminishing space in Gaza must be addressed immediately. I am extremely concerned by the possible nightmare of more than one million people being displaced again if Israel proceeds with its pl anned ground operation in Rafah.' With an 'imminent' famine in the north and 'horrifying' levels of suffering across Gaza, Wennesland called on Israel to fulfill its obligations under international law and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access into and throughout the Strip. He noted that humanitarian work in Gaza is extremely dangerous and that aid convoys continue to face attacks, stressing that the UN and aid partners must be able to deliver assistance safely. This means that humanitarian locations, movements, and workers must be protected more effectively and that the UN be allowed the equipment it needs to increase staff safety, he added. He reiterated that 'for aid delivery at scale there is no meaningful substitute to delivery by land'. Turning his attention to the occupied West Bank, Wennesland expressed alarm by attacks carried out by Israeli colonists against Palestinians, including in the proximity of Israeli Forces. Wennesland also emphasized the importance of upholding the statu s quo at Holy Sites in Jerusalem, particularly during Ramadan. He also raised alarm over the relentless expansion of Israeli colonial settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the demolition and seizure of Palestinian structures. 'The ever-expanding settlement footprint, including outposts, further entrenches the occupation, while severely impeding the exercise by the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination,' he said, reiterating that Israeli colonial settlements 'have no legal validity, and are in flagrant violation of international law.' 'Ultimately, any substantial solution for Gaza, and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is political,' he said. 'It is imperative to set the conditions for an agreed political framework that can outline tangible, irreversible steps towards ending the occupation and establishing a Two-State solution - Israel and Palestine, of which Gaza is an integral part, living side-by-side in peace and security, on the basis of UN resolu tions, previous agreements, and international law, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States,' he said. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA