A statement said that Secretary-General Kofi Annan was gravely disturbed by the Israeli military attack in the Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip early this morning. The attack during one of the most important Muslim holidays, Eid al Fitr, left 10 Palestinians dead. Most of those killed were civilians - including two staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The Secretary-General extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this attack.
He deplored the loss of innocent civilian life and has repeatedly urged Israel to refrain from the excessive and disproportionate use of deadly force in civilian areas. He reminded the Government of Israel of its obligations as an occupying power to protect the civilian population, and urges them ensure that the Israeli Defence Forces behave with greater restraint and discipline and in conformity with international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General stressed that only a political solution offers the two parties a viable way out of the current conflict and the possibility of real security for both sides.
The Secretary-General extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this attack.
He deplored the loss of innocent civilian life and has repeatedly urged Israel to refrain from the excessive and disproportionate use of deadly force in civilian areas. He reminded the Government of Israel of its obligations as an occupying power to protect the civilian population, and urges them ensure that the Israeli Defence Forces behave with greater restraint and discipline and in conformity with international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General stressed that only a political solution offers the two parties a viable way out of the current conflict and the possibility of real security for both sides.