United Nations, May 19: The international community must do "all it can" to de-escalate the violence in Gaza and Israel which has left hundreds dead and injured, said UN Undersecretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo on Tuesday.
The UN political affairs chief was addressing a meeting of the UN Forum on the Question of Palestine, and noted that the UN has been "actively involved" in mediation so far, and said the fighting involving extremist group Hamas and Israeli forces, which has claimed the lives of more than 200 civilians on both sides, including children, was a "tragic reminder" of the need to find a resolution to end conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, "once and for all."
DiCarlo called on all those involved in the fighting to allow for the "intensification of mediation efforts," which can also help stem a growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
"In the absence of such a process, we are - regrettably - bound to witness more episodes of tensions and desperation. People on both sides deserve much more than that," she said.
DiCarlo noted that the scenes of communal violence inside Israel itself, were also "unprecedented," saying continued escalation there would have "devastating consequences" for all in the region.
If the nine days of spiraling violence so far continues, "humanitarian needs are bound to rise considerably, particularly in Gaza, where the situation was already desperate," she added.
More than 220 people have now died in Gaza and the West Bank since violence erupted last week with Israel, where the toll has risen to 10 dead, UN humanitarians said earlier on Tuesday, in a call for greater access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and an end to hostilities.
Nearly 60,000 people have had to leave or flee their homes in Gaza, the spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, with 47,000 now sheltering in UN Relief and Works Agency schools.
The World Food Programme warned on Tuesday that the crisis has pushed an estimated additional 160,000 people in Gaza into food insecurity.
Against this backdrop, OCHA welcomed the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza for essential humanitarian supplies nine days into the crisis.
The transit point in southern Gaza was closed eight days ago, along with the Erez crossing in the north of Gaza, OCHA said in a statement on Monday.
Source: Xinhua
