(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday condemned as an "atrocious action" the killing of dozens of Palestinians in Al-Shujaieh district of the Gaza City by Israeli shelling earlier today, calling for an immediate end to Israeli
onslaught on Gaza Strip.
Ban, on a visit to Qatar, urged Israel, in a joint press conference with Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Khaled al-Attiyah, to exercise self-restraint and avoid targeting the civilian population in the Strip after almost two weeks of fighting claimed the lives of more than 400 Palestinians.
He commended efforts being made by Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to end the bloodshed, describing his meeting with the Amir earlier this evening as "constructive.
"While I was on route to Doha, dozens more civilians have been killed in the Israeli military strikes - in Gaza - I condemn the atrocious action," Qatar News Agency (QNA) quoted Ban as saying.
"Israel must exercise maximum restraint. I repeat my demands to all sides that they must respect international humanitarian law. The violence must stop now," he stressed.
Ban, who is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tonight before resuming his tour of the region, highlighted the need of the Palestinians and Israelis to feel secure and see the hope of peace in the horizon.
He added that both sides have to recognize that they could be held accountable for any crime they might commit, under the international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, Minister Al-Attiyah said that he had briefed the UN Secretary General on the efforts and contacts made by Qatar in the past few days to restore calm in Gaza.
"We have explained to the UN Chief the situation the ground in Gaza, the suffering and the demands of the Palestinian people as well as the need to stop the aggression and lift the blockade as soon as possible," he said.
"I think that the Secretary General is optimistic - and on that basis I hope that he would everything possible to save our people in Gaza," Dr. Al-Attiyah pointed out.
On Qatar's position towards the Egyptian initiative, he said Qatar is supports of any initiative that could lead to a ceasefire and put an end to the bloodshed, "particularly the blood of our brothers in Palestine.
"The Egyptian initiative was discussed at the emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo," he disclosed, noting that the Egyptian Foreign Minister said during the meeting that this initiative had been discussed with all parties, including the Palestinian factions.
"We in Qatar do not claim that we have a special initiative - we just conveyed the demands of the Palestinian people and it's not important who might meet these demands if justice has been achieved," he went on.
"We have received a number of contacts from sisterly and friendly countries in order to take an active role in contributing to stop the Israeli aggression," he said, noting that consultations are still underway for a cease-fire.
He held Israel legally responsible for all the atrocities it committed and in accordance with international conventions, in particular the four Geneva Conventions.
It is no longer acceptable for Israel to commit aggression and withdraw whenever it wants, he stressed, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibility for stopping the Israeli aggression which poses a threat to stability in the entire Middle East region and the world.
He voiced hope for reaching a fair and decent agreement on ceasefire in order to meet the demands of the Palestinian people.
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