UNITED NATIONS, Jan 15 (NNN-KUNA) — The situation in Gaza dominated a Security Council debate on ‘Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’ around the world, with the UN top humanitarian coordinator John Holmes reiterating UN calls for an immediate ceasefire.
“Only a full and fully respected ceasefire will spare the civilian population from these horrors. And even then, their need for assistance will remain both urgent and overwhelming.”
Holmes told the council Wednesday in reference to the “terrifying” situation in Gaza. The Israeli forces, he noted, are “no doubt trying, as they say, to take steps to minimize civilian casualties but they are clearly not succeeding,” he said.
He accused both Hamas and Israel of not complying with international humanitarian law. “Can we look at what has been happening in Gaza in the last three weeks and say that either Israel or Hamas has come close to respecting fully these rules? I think not,” he said.
He stressed that such violations by one party to a conflict offer no justification for non-compliance by other parties. “Allegations of violations must be fully investigated and those responsible held to account.”
In a related matter, it was also announced earlier in the day that Holmes’ office, as part of the UN efforts to meet the rapidly growing humanitarian needs of civilians caught in the fighting in Gaza, has allocated some USD 7 million in funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
“Humanitarian needs in Gaza are massive, and this funding will help jump-start urgent programmes to provide food and clean water to those seeking to survive the fighting,” Holmes said in a statement.
The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also called on both parties on Wednesday to ensure the protection of children, some 300 of whom have been killed and more than 1,500 wounded since the crisis began on Dec 27.
Describing the situation in Gaza as “tragic and unacceptable,” UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in a statement that “children form the majority of the population of Gaza. They are bearing the brunt of a conflict which is not theirs.”
Thoraya Obeid, head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), also said in a statement that continuing violence and displacement in Gaza present “serious risks” to more than 40,000 pregnant women and their newborn babies who are the “unseen victims” of the crisis in Gaza.
“Lack of access to critical health services, including emergency obstetric care, could mean the difference between life and death for many of them and their babies,” she warned.
She noted that the some 170 women who give birth in Gaza every day cannot leave their homes to the hospitals and those who can are not sure to get the proper care because many delivery wards have been turned into surgical facilities to treat the wounded.
John Ging, the chief of UNRWA operations in Gaza, told the daily press briefing via video link that the Israeli soldiers do not even respect the three-hour lull granted by the Israeli Defence Ministry for the civilians to run their errands.
He noted that Gazans pin high hopes on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s trip to the region to broker a ceasefire.
Asked if he would confirm that Hamas is using civilians as human shields, as suggested in an Israeli letter to Ban and the Security Council members, Ging said nobody should be allowed to do that, recalling that Gaza is not a battleground and has the most concentration of civilians in the world.
“This does not mean that Israeli soldiers could kill civilians to get to Hamas. They have the duty to care and protect civilians.”