UN: Middle East envoy calls 'immediate stop' to hostilities in Gaza

W/S UN Security Council, New York City
SOT, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process: "I take this opportunity to call for an immediate stop to the firing of rockets and mortars that only risk dragging Gaza into another round of hostilities with no end in sight. The indiscriminate launching of rockets against civilian population centres violates international law and must end."
W/S UN Security Council *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process: "The Secretary-General has consistently spoken out against unilateral steps and plans for annexation. Such steps, including the possible annexation of territory in the West Bank or similar moves, would have a devastating impact on the prospect for a two-state solution. They would close the door to negotiations, have negative repercussions across the region, and severely undermine opportunities for normalization and regional peace."
W/S UN Security Council *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process: "According to local interlocutors, as of the end of January, stock levels for 46 per cent of essential medicines have been completely depleted. Let me repeat that, 46 per cent of essential medicines have been completely depleted. On 18 February the IDF enabled a shipment of medicines worth some NIS 4 million [USD 1.2 million] to enter Gaza. This shipment will somewhat alleviate the dire situation, however I encourage the Palestinian Government to work with the United Nations and to increase its efforts to help resolve Gaza's ongoing health crisis."
W/S UN Security Council *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process: "I reiterate that violence against civilians, and particularly against children, is unacceptable, and must be condemned by all. Israeli security forces must also exercise maximum restraint and only use lethal force when strictly necessary. All incidents must be thoroughly investigated."
W/S UN Security Council *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process: "Without further financial support, critical services in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, will be suspended as of late April. This would result in serious humanitarian repercussions, particularly for some of the most acutely vulnerable communities, among them female-headed households below the poverty line."
W/S UN Security Council
W/S United Nations headquarters, New York City
SCRIPT
United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov called for an " 'immediate stop" to hostilities in Gaza, saying it would plunge the area into another round of conflict "with no end in sight." Mladenov made the comments while addressing the UN Security Council in New York City via video-call on Monday.
"I take this opportunity to call for an immediate stop to the firing of rockets and mortars that only risk dragging Gaza into another round of hostilities with no end in sight. The indiscriminate launching of rockets against civilian population centres violates international law and must end," said Mladenov.
"The Secretary-General has consistently spoken out against unilateral steps and plans for annexation. Such steps, including the possible annexation of territory in the West Bank or similar moves, would have a devastating impact on the prospect for a two-state solution. They would close the door to negotiations, have negative repercussions across the region, and severely undermine opportunities for normalization and regional peace," he said.
"I reiterate that violence against civilians, and particularly against children, is unacceptable, and must be condemned by all. Israeli security forces must also exercise maximum restraint and only use lethal force when strictly necessary. All incidents must be thoroughly investigated," added Mladenov.
The Israeli military launched a series of airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday, following Sunday night's airstrikes near Khan Younis.
Tension rose in the region over the weekend, following the death of a Palestinian protester whose body was dragged by an Israeli bulldozer along the fence between Gaza and Israel. Despite the PIJ claims the IDF abused the 27-year old man's body, the Israeli army insisted the protester was killed while trying to place a bomb next to the border east of Khan Younis.
Mandatory Credit: UN TV