Secretary-General deeply troubled by continuing military action in Gaza,

calls on both parties to cease all forms of violence

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is deeply troubled by the continuing military action and violence in the northern Gaza Strip, with the high toll of deaths and injuries among the civilian population.  He grieves for the many children who have been killed or wounded in these operations.

The Secretary-General is also very disturbed by the destruction of civilian property, infrastructure and agricultural land in the northern Gaza Strip in such operations and calls on the Government of Israel to do the utmost to avoid any harm to Palestinian civilians.

The Secretary-General once again reiterates his deep conviction that there exists no military solution to the conflict, and calls again on both parties to cease all forms of violence and to renew their search for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.  He also urges the leadership on both sides to pay far greater heed to their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians in armed conflicts.

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