Gaza toll ‘shocked and shamed’ world — Ban

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says the Israeli strikes on UN facilities in Gaza over the course of Operation Protective Edge are “outrageous, unacceptable and unjustifiable.”

“Yes, we uncovered cases in which weapons were stored in a small number of abandoned buildings,” he says, addressing a special General Assembly session on Gaza. “Yes, there were reports that Hamas rockets were fired from near UN premises. Yet, let me be clear: Mere suspicion of militant activity does not justify jeopardizing the lives and safety of many thousands of innocent civilians.”

He adds: “International humanitarian law clearly requires protection by all parties of civilians and civilian facilities, including UN staff and UN premises… Those who violate this sacred trust must be subject to accountability and justice.”

Ban says the UN transferred the coordinates of the UN facilities 33 times to prevent attacks on the sites.

“Attacks against UN premises, along with other suspected breaches of international law, must be swiftly investigated,” he says.

The UN chief defends Israel’s right to protect its citizens as “legitimate,” but says “the fighting has raised serious questions about respect for the principles of distinction and proportionality in international humanitarian law.”

The Gaza destruction and death toll “shocked and shamed the world,” he says, and “nothing symbolized more the horror that was unleashed on the people of Gaza” than the shelling of UN buildings.

Operation Protective Edge must be the last Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, he says.

“Do we have to continue like this: build, destroy, and build, and destroy? We will build again – but this must be the last time to rebuild. This must stop now. They must go back to the negotiating table. We must not repeat this periodically. Why [are] both parties putting all of the international community’s citizens always at unease and concerned, looking helplessly at many people being killed?”