More than 200 lives lost since UN call for ceasefire

More than 200 lives lost since UN call for ceasefire aid agencies say Three hour lull in fighting will not redress the full-blown humanitarian crisis - only an immediate ceasefire will helpA group of leading international aid agencies today said that more than 200 lives have been lost since the UN passed its binding resolution stipulating an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel which was dismissed by the conflicting parties. The agencies called on both parties to end the killings and heed Ban Ki Moon’s appeal – as he arrives in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory - for an immediate ceasefire that will end the civilian suffering and endangerment and allow local and international aid agencies to provide desperately needed relief safely and without impediment. The international community must throw its full weight behind Ban Ki Moon’s efforts and ensure that the UN resolution is promptly enforced. Since the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire on 8th January there have been: More than 200 people killed More than 1,300 people injured Three hospitals hit by the bombing “Putting an end to violence and civilian casualties is not a option, it is an obligation”, says Charles Clayton, Nation Director for World Vision Jerusalem. “We cannot stress enough that the current situation in the Gaza Strip needs to be addressed without further delay. Too many people have died already.” The agencies – Save the Children, Oxfam International, World Vision Jerusalem, Christian Aid, CARE International – added that the three-hour ‘lull’ in the fighting, which is now only restricted to Gaza City, detracts attention away from the immediate need to reach a durable ceasefire that would allow aid agencies to carry out much needed humanitarian work throughout the Gaza Strip, including reaching communities that have been completely cut off by the conflict. The slim window of time each day is not nearly enough to address the dire humanitarian situation on the ground. Moreover, some fighting usually continues during the ‘lulls’ so humanitarian workers and the civilian population risk their lives moving around the Gaza Strip. “With shelters overflowing, food shortages, inadequate facilities and the general sense of panic and abandonment felt, we must be allowed to sufficiently assist the needy population of the Gaza Strip at once”, says David Bourns, Country Director for Save the Children.