The Secretary-General condemned the attack on Jabalia Elementary Girls School in Gaza. He called the attack outrageous and unjustifiable and made the point that it demands accountability and Justice. He called on the parties to agree to an immediate unconditional ceasefire.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General called on parties to build on the current calm in the Middle East. With hundreds of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza and horrifying levels of physical destruction, he urges those responsible to step back from provoking or inflicting yet more violence on civilians there.
In Cairo, the Secretary-General continued to hold intense discussions with key interlocutors, including the Egyptian Foreign Minister and the United States Secretary of State towards a possible ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. He was also briefed on the humanitarian situation, via video link, by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine and the Near East staff in Gaza.
Addressing the press today in Iraq, the Secretary-General said he is appalled by the reported attack on a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East school in Gaza where hundreds had taken refuge. Many have been killed — including women and children, as well as UN staff. He urged all sides to respect the sanctity of civilian life.
The Secretary-General continued today to push for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. Arriving in Jordan, he told reporters he had a heavy heart owing to so many killed and wounded.
In a press encounter with the Israeli Prime Minister, the Secretary-General expressed strong condemnation of rocket attacks against Israel and warned against the use of civilian sites for military purposes. His message to both sides: stop the fighting, start talking and address the root causes of the conflict.
The Secretary-General is in Cairo to support efforts to stop the fighting in Gaza, and the rocket attacks in Israel. He asks all sides to create the space to assist victims and stresses that a ceasefire that returns matters to where they stood before is not enough.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft in eastern Ukraine on 17 July, killing nearly 300 people. He calls for a full and transparent international investigation into the incident and offers the full cooperation of the United Nations.
The World Food Programme took advantage of the humanitarian pause in Gaza to provide emergency assistance to thousands and to move food stocks into position around the enclave. Humanitarian agencies report that up to half the Gazan population is without water, with medical supplies urgently needed for hospitals.
In a message to a conference in Honduras, the Secretary-General called the plight of unaccompanied child migrants from Central America an urgent humanitarian situation, saying the migrant children often rely on unscrupulous human smuggling networks. He urged Governments to urgently protect their human rights.