The United Nations is deeply concerned about the Israeli attacks on Gaza City and urge the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at the noon briefing at the UN headquarters in New York City on Friday.
"We are concerned that the ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza City could have an even more horrific impact on people across the Strip if it intensifies further. We note that the Israeli announcement today of the daily tactical pauses have been discontinued for Gaza City -- and that's an area that Israel now classifies as a 'dangerous combat zone.' That suspension will further threaten people's lives and aid workers' ability to support people," said Dujarric.
UN team on the ground said that those declared pauses appeared to signal some willingness that humanitarian work should be allowed to move forward. Yet, in recent weeks, they still observed bombing in areas and at times where such pauses had been declared. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stresses that life-saving aid operations must be further enabled, and not rolled back, the spokesman stressed.
The UN expects its work to be fully facilitated and remind parties that civilians, including humanitarian workers, must be protected at all times. Humanitarian facilities and other civilian infrastructure must also be safeguarded, he added.
According to Dujarric, OCHA says that aid workers continue to face impediments to their movements inside the Gaza Strip.
"Turning to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, our humanitarian colleagues tell us they continue to see very high levels of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians -- that has obvious a harsh impact on the humanitarian situation. ... OCHA says that settler violence has now become one of the main drivers of displacement of Palestinians throughout the West Bank," said the spokesman.
The UN calls again on the protection of all civilians across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to stop these demolitions, and steps must also be taken against settler violence, he said.
UN urges protection of civilians, humanitarian workers in Gaza City
