By Xinhua,
Gaza : Visiting South African Nobel Peace laureate Father Desmond Tutu said here on Thursday that Israel holds responsible for the situation in West Bank and Gaza.
At a news conference in Gaza, he condemns the ongoing Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, adding that “this blockade had affected all aspects of life, mainly hospitals and roads.”
Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, currently is leading a UN fact-finding mission to Gaza to investigate the killing of 19 Palestinian civilians in a November 2006 Israeli attack.
He wrapped up a three-day visit after he probed Israeli tanks shelling in November 2006 on several houses belong to al-Athamna family in the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip.
“All what I heard about this misery and the lack of economic activities in Gaza, show the painful reality that I saw. I was amazed not to see children laughing, cheering or playing in devastated streets,” said Tutu.
Israel has been imposing a tightened blockade on Gaza Strip since Islamic Hamas movement took control of the enclave last June.
The Israeli blockade and the closure of all crossing points had negatively affected the daily life in the area. Economy deteriorated, unemployment rate went high where industry and commerce were badly damaged.
“I was shocked to see such kind of life the populations here are living. I didn’t see cars driving because I was told that there is a severe crisis of fuel. What I found out is that the situation here is horrible and poor,” said Tutu.
In addition, during his meeting on Tuesday with deposed prime minister of Hamas Ismail Haneya in Gaza, Tutu urged Hamas leaders to stop rocket attacks by Gaza militants against Israel.
“Peace can’t be achieved through guns, it can only be achieved through talks, therefore when enemies sit down together on one table, as what happened in South Africa, all problems would be resolved,” Tutu added.