US envoy tells UN it’s working ‘tirelessly’ to halt Gaza fighting

Addressing the UN Security Council, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the US is “working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to try and bring an end to this conflict.”

“The human toll of this past week has been devastating. Sadly these numbers are likely to grow by the end of today’s session,” she says.

The envoy expresses concern over the violence between Arabs and Jews in “mixed communities inside Israel.”

“We’ve seen neighbor turn against neighbor,” she says.

Thomas-Greenfield expresses “alarm” over attacks on journalists and calls on all parties to protect civilians, medical clinics, and UN facilities, in an apparent panning of Israeli strikes on those sites.

She says that in its talks with the parties, the US has “made clear that we are prepared to lend our support… should the parties seek a ceasefire… because we believe that Israelis and Palestinians equally have a right to live in safety.”

The envoy calls on Hamas to “immediately halt” its rocket attacks on Israel and says it opposes the looming evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem as well as settlement construction and housing demolitions by Israel.