United Nations, March 11 (IANS) UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages to end the “civilian killing and destruction at a level that is unprecedented in all my years” in office.
In a statement at the beginning of the Muslim religious observance, he said: “My strongest appeal today is to honour the spirit of Ramadan by silencing the guns – and removing all obstacles to ensure the delivery of lifesaving aid at the speed and massive scale required.”
And in a message to Hamas, he added: “At the same time – and in the Ramadan spirit of compassion — I call for the immediate release of all hostages.”
Appealing to “political, religious and community leaders everywhere to do everything in their power to make this holy period a time for empathy, action and peace”, Guterres added: “Let’s not forget that beyond Ramadan, Christians will soon celebrate Easter and Jews will celebrate Passover in April.”
Efforts for a ceasefire through diplomacy by Qatar, the US, and Eqypt have been futile so far over the conditions imposed by Hamas and Israel.
Guterres also pointedly drew attention to Sudan where UN officials have reported mass killings, but which, unlike Gaza, has been generally ignored.
“Today, I also renew my appeal for a Ramadan cessation of hostilities in Sudan,” he said.
“The fighting there must end for the sake of the Sudanese people who face hunger, horrors and untold hardships.”
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has reported mass killings of violence and sexual violence directed against ethnic minorities in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The violence there is directed by the Arab Rapid Support Forces against non-Arab ethnic groups.
The Gaza war, sparked by the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage, resulted in a massive Israeli retaliation that has killed more than 30,000 people, most of them women and children, and the destruction of vast tracts there.
In Gaza, “International humanitarian law lies in tatters and a threatened Israeli assault on Rafah could plummet the people of Gaza into an even deeper circle of hell”, Guterres warned.
Israel ordered Gaza residents to the southern part of the territory as it sent ground forces into the north, and as the operations spread, more than 1.5 million people are sheltering in the Rafah region. As Israel’s threatened invasion of Rafah looms, the scale of Israeli attacks has led to the international isolation of Israel, with even the US expressing concern over the level of civilian casualties.
In an interview with the left-oriented news channel MSNBC, President Joe Biden warned that an attack on Rafah would cross a “red line” and “cannot have another 30,000 more Palestinians dead”.
In defiance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden has ordered US military air drops of food into Gaza, where Israel has restricted relief supplies, and the construction of a temporary pier to send in aid.
(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
–IANS
al/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
