United Nations urges Israel to reopen Gaza borders
United Nations urges Israel to end lockdown of crossings into and out of Gaza
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Saturday, 19, Jan 2008 09:53
The United Nations has called on Israel to end its lockdown of crossing points into Gaza following an escalation of bloodshed in the past seven days.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon says the closure of the Gaza Strip's borders was worsening a humanitarian situation already fraught with danger.
According to UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs John Holmes, the plight of people in Gaza is "extremely worrying and fragile".
In the latest violence in the territory, home to 1.5 million people, an Israeli rocket strike killed at least one person, bringing the death-toll of a week of clashes past 30.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has stepped up its operations in Gaza since Tuesday following an increase in the number of rockets being fired into its territory by Hamas.
And checkpoints into and out of Gaza were closed on Thursday by defence minister Ehud Barak.
Middle East negotiators say the violence is seriously undermining the peace process championed by George Bush during a recent trip to the region.
On the humanitarian side, Mr Ban said water and power supplies were being cut off from homes and hospitals across Gaza.
"If this situation endures, the closure will also cause further shortages of food, medical and relief items in the Gaza Strip," he said.
The UN secretary general went on to say Israel must "refrain from actions that will harm the wellbeing of the general civilian population in Gaza" and called on the IDF to show "maximum restraint".