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	Syria: Every day brings more death and, more communities are torn apart by Syria INGO Regional Forum & agencies   14 March 2014, (SARC/IFRC/ICRC)   Syria crisis, 3 years on: the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement calls for an end to the humanitarian tragedy.   In the three years since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, the situation has developed into a humanitarian disaster of appalling dimensions. More than 9 million Syrians are in need of urgent assistance, including 6.5 million people displaced inside their own country, half of them children, struggling to survive amid the fighting. A further 2.4 million people have fled Syria since January 2012, seeking refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. Thousands more families have left for countries further afield. Today, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly in large parts of the country.   Three years on, this conflict has pushed the coping mechanisms of millions of families to the edge and compromised the capacity of Syrians, and the country as a whole, to recover from enduring violence and absolute destruction. A growing number of Syrians struggle every day to meet their basic needs. Many, in large areas of the country, are starving. Today, the people of Syria can barely recognize their once thriving communities, their once prospering nation.   From the onset of the crisis, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) has been the primary provider of humanitarian services, reaching above 3 million each month.   “In 2010, our focus was to assist over 140,000 Iraqis who had sought refuge in Syria, to prepare for natural disasters and to assist other National Societies during crises," says SARC President Dr. Abdulrahman Attar. "Three years later, together with our International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners, we are providing impartial relief to millions of Syrians affected by the conflict.”   "The transition from a National Society operating in times of peace to a lead agency coordinating Movement and overall humanitarian efforts in the midst of an armed conflict that affects millions was a tremendous challenge for us,” says Dr. Attar. “First and foremost, it is the commitment of our volunteers to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Fundamental Principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and their fearlessness in the face of great danger that makes our role and response possible."   According to UN estimates, around 3 million civilians are still trapped today in areas surrounded by on-going violence, and with no or limited and irregular access to humanitarian assistance. While the entire country has been affected by the conflict, the situation is particularly alarming in the suburbs of Damascus, the governorates of Rural Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Dara’a, Idleb, Hama, Deir Ezzor, Raqqa as well as in Hassakeh governorate.   Since January 2014, SARC teams have delivered much-needed humanitarian aid and services in all 14 Syrian governorates, where the population lives under extreme duress. In Deir Ezzor, SARC teams delivered essential relief after four months of blockages and continuous fighting.   34 SARC staff and volunteers have been killed while carrying out their humanitarian mission since the beginning of the conflict and many have been wounded. "This is an unacceptable toll for their families and for the organization," says Dr. Attar. "Much more must be done by all parties to the conflict to respect the red crescent and red cross emblems and to ensure that those who strive to save lives do not themselves become victims."   In countries neighbouring Syria, the suffering of people continues with around 2.4 million refugees lacking all kinds of basic needs. Host communities are also facing immense pressure. The strain on local livelihoods, infrastructure and resources in these countries is not sustainable as competition for resources such as access to health care, schools and essential supplies continue to increase. The lack of sustainable livelihoods and tensions between communities represent some of the main risks for both Syrian refugees and overextended host families.   As the world marks the third year since the start of the conflict, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement reiterates its call to the parties to the conflict to observe their responsibilities under International Humanitarian Law. The Movement is committed to doing more to ease the suffering of the millions of Syrians affected by the conflict, but can only do so if the parties to the conflict ensure at all times the rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of impartial humanitarian relief.   http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/press-releases/middle-east-and-north-africa/syria/   20 Jan 2014   Failure of Geneva II talks would put millions of lives at risk, warns 35 member aid group calling for a peaceful solution to the Syria conflict.   Two days ahead of the scheduled Geneva II peace talks, the Syria INGO Regional Forum (SIRF), a coalition of leading global aid agencies responding to the Syria crisis calls on all parties to the conflict to double their efforts to reach a negotiated settlement. “The crisis in Syria will soon be entering its fourth year, and the plight of millions of Syrians must be seen as a catalyst to secure peace. Every day that passes, without a resolution to the conflict, more vulnerable people are pushed deeper into hunger and poverty. We must ensure that these talks result in action to bring an end to the suffering of millions of ordinary Syrians who have lived in misery far too long,” says Rob Drouen, chair of the SIRF board. While peace in Syria is the goal, SIRF calls on all parties to the conflict to halt violence against civilians and enable communities caught up in the fighting to access the humanitarian assistance they so desperately need.   “The war in Syria is impacting in horrific and irreversible ways on health, education and livelihoods of whole generations, not only in Syria but across the region. Conflict is also spilling into neighbouring countries and the ramifications of this are unconscionable,” adds Drouen.   Within Syria, a third of the entire population – around six million people, almost half of them children – have been displaced from their homes. Schools and hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, and the health system has collapsed across much of the country. The risk of what are normally easily preventable or treated diseases is rapidly increasing and outbreaks of polio, typhoid and measles are increasing threats. “Accessing those in need is increasingly difficult. The international community must do everything in its power to halt armed conflict and enable unhindered humanitarian access to those in need across Syria,” says Dina Morad, SIRF board member.   In addition to those in crisis within Syria, more than 2.3 million refugees have officially registered with the UN, but unofficial estimates of unregistered civilians indicate that the number in surrounding countries might already total around 4.5 million.   According to latest UN estimates, the number of people in need of humanitarian aid both within Syria and the region exceeds a staggering ten million. In recent weeks, Syrian refugees across the region have been hit hard by winter storms and plunging temperatures, heaping another layer of misery to their struggle to survive. “More and more families have no access to health care, have lost any source of income, and can no longer afford food, clothing, or adequate housing. A mother told me that she wakes up at night and checks on her children, afraid they might have frozen to death,” says Morad.   “Every day brings more death and, more communities are torn apart as hopes for reconciliation and recovery fade. Millions affected by this worst humanitarian crisis in decades will continue paying a heavy price if the peace talks fail,” adds Thierry Benlahsen, member of the SIRF board.   The Syria INGO Regional Forum’s members responding to the Syrian crisis inside Syria and in neighbouring countries include:   ACTED, Action Aid, Action Against Hunger, CAFOD, CARE, Danish Church Aid, Danish Refugee Council, Handicap International, HelpAge International, Intersos, International Medical Corps, International Catholic Migration Commission, Catholic Relief Services, International Rescue Committee, IRD, Islamic Relief, LIFE for Relief and Development, Lutheran World Federation, Medair, Medecins du Monde, Mennonite Central Committee, Mercy Corps, NRC, Oxfam, Première Urgence - Aide Médicale Internationale, Relief International, Save the Children, Secours Islamique Français, SNAP, Solidarités International, Terre des Hommes, Un Ponte Per, War Child UK, War Child Holland, World Vision.   http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_72815.html http://www.unicef.org/media/media_72818.html http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/2014-03/millions-childrens-lives-risk-collapse-syrian-health-system   Jan 2014   WFP Syria director says peace talks must address humanitarian aid. (WFP/Alertnet)   Syria’s warring sides must seize this week’s peace conference in Switzerland as a chance to allow humanitarian aid workers access to nearly 3 million people who have been under siege or cut off by fighting, the World Food Programme (WFP) says.   WFP’s Syria Country Director Matthew Hollingworth urged combatants to call a ceasefire in order to enable aid workers to reach trapped civilians, bring in aid and medical help, assess needs and carry out evacuations.   “The very least that these different fighters can provide is a pause to allow the humanitarians to get in and provide that emergency relief,” he said.   Hollingworth said the WFP had received credible reports of malnutrition-related deaths in besieged areas. Some communities have been cut off for more than a year.   “Although humanitarian assistance is not part of the political discussions, part of this peace process has to look at improving the lives of Syrians affected by the crisis - both inside Syria and seeking refugee status in neighbouring countries and beyond. Humanitarian issues need to be part of that Geneva 2 discussion,” Hollingworth said in an interview with Thomson Reuters Foundation.   Hollingworth said access was a huge problem for the WFP. Some 2.5 million people are stuck in hard-to-reach areas in the north where aid operations are severely compromised by fighting between government and opposition forces and between different rebel groups. Another 250,000 people are trapped in besieged areas. Opposition forces have surrounded two areas in the northwestern Aleppo region, while government forces have encircled 38 neighbourhoods around Damascus.   Hollingworth condemned besiegement as an indiscriminate tactic with appalling consequences for civilians. A few areas are tightly sealed with nothing going in. In others, limited supplies are getting in through tunnels or when troops allow controlled movement in and out, Hollingworth said, but he stressed the amount getting through was insufficient. The WFP has asked for an end to besiegements, but he said they were unlikely to stop any time soon.   This year Syria and neighbouring countries hosting refugees will account for about a third of the WFP’s entire budget.   Hollingworth said the WFP needed to raise £24 million ($41 mln) every week to help 4.25 million people inside Syria and more than 2.9 million who have fled to Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere.   “One-third of the original population of Syria is homeless… and many have been displaced three, four, five times. The more people run from terror, war and frontlines, the more their ability to continue to survive is challenged. Families have very little left to sell. Their livelihoods don’t exist anymore,” he said.   In addition, inflation has skyrocketed since the crisis began. In some areas, Hollingworth said the price of bread had gone up 350 percent, dairy products and eggs cost six times more, and meat was now beyond the means of most people.   Hollingworth said everywhere you went you could see people camping in factories, warehouses or building sites with no electricity or water. Some are sharing apartments with 30 others. Many are surviving on what they can grow in back gardens or on rooftops. “Everybody in Syria today is facing a crisis. There are parts of Syria that I would imagine look very similar to Dresden in 1945. They are shells of what they once were,” he said, referring to the German city destroyed during World War II.   He said Syria’s population would be affected far into the future and reiterated U.N. warnings that the country could see “a lost generation” of children who had grown up on a poor diet and without an education.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/SyriaSieges.aspx   The war on Syrian civilians. (The Lancet)   As all eyes focused on the Geneva II peace talks (Jan 22—31, 2014) attempting to bring an end to the conflict in Syria, the suffering of its citizens continued. The Syrian uprising turned civil war has been described by the UN as the worst humanitarian crisis in the 21st century. 4·25 million people are internally displaced, 2·4 million are refugees, and around 9 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid. The UN estimates that more than 130,000 people have been killed since the start of the fighting in March, 2011.   A large number of these deaths are likely to be non-combatants. As Human Rights Watch"s (HRW) annual report released last week notes, the conflict in Syria is a war on civilians. All sides have been responsible for atrocities, but most civilian deaths have resulted from government attacks as part of a deliberate military strategy, states the report. The horrific sarin attack in Ghouta, an opposition-held suburb of Damascus, in August, 2013, is one example. Hundreds of civilians were killed, including many children. Conventional weapons have killed even more. Local monitoring groups estimate that 5000 individuals are being killed by conventional weapons each month, with civilians constituting some 35% of deaths. Syrian troops have used ballistic missiles, rockets, artillery shells, cluster bombs, incendiary weapons, barrel bombs, and regular aerial bombardment in heavily populated opposition-held territory, including targeted attacks on functioning medical facilities, schools, and other civilian structures. HRW has identified 152 locations where government forces used at least 204 cluster munitions in nine of the country"s 14 provinces. The group also investigated nine apparent ballistic missile attacks in 2013 that killed at least 215 people, including 100 children. No military targets were struck in the attacks and, in seven of nine cases investigated, there were no signs of any apparent military targets in the vicinity.   The repercussions of this brutal conflict run deep. In the fourth paper in The Lancet"s Series on Health in the Arab world in today"s issue, Omar Dewachi and colleagues analyse the effects of the conflicts in Iraq and Syria and how they both have resulted in the militarisation of health care. They note that hospitals in Syria have become part of the battlefield. Both the Syrian Government and opposition forces have attacked or appropriated medical facilities. In many hospitals, combatants have first priority in receiving care, note the authors, whereas civilians struggle to access treatments. As of April, 2013, 57% of public hospitals were damaged and 37% were out of service, according to WHO. Additionally, 40% of the country"s ambulances have been damaged. Security forces have targeted and threatened doctors who refuse to withhold care from anti-government groups. At least 160 doctors have been killed and many hundreds have been jailed. As in Iraq, the targeting of doctors has forced health professionals to leave Syria in large numbers. In Homs, at least 50% of the medical staff have left and only three general surgeons remained after 30 months of conflict.   Dewachi and colleagues note that the deterioration and militarisation of health institutions in Syria has also contributed to the large exodus of civilians to neighbouring countries. Refugees are largely in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt; most are women and children. And while many reside in camps, most have moved in with host families or into cities in Lebanon and Jordan. Understanding the health care needs of this population therefore requires a transnational approach that considers this regionalisation and complexity, state the authors.   Inside Syria, major health concerns include the return of polio. Adam Coutts and colleagues raise serious questions over WHO"s immunisation response in Syria in a letter in today"s issue. The authors note that vaccination coverage in what are now mainly opposition-held areas has been far below accepted standards. And that to date, all reported cases of polio have occurred in rebel-controlled areas. They ask why WHO had not identified areas at increased risk and prepared better for an outbreak. They also question the reasons behind WHO Syria and the Syrian Government"s exclusion of the largely rebel-held Deir al-Zour from their vaccination drive in December, 2012. These questions deserve answers from WHO.   As The Lancet went to press, the Geneva II talks were yet to conclude. However, it is clear that the international community has so far failed in its response to this health and humanitarian crisis. The war on Syrian civilians is now in its third year; it should be the last.   31 December 2013   UN humanitarian chief decries ‘indiscriminate attacks’ in Aleppo.   The top United Nations humanitarian official today expressed concern about the deteriorating situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, where hundreds of people have been killed or injured by indiscriminate attacks in recent weeks.   “I join UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in strongly condemning the attacks against civilians in Aleppo and in many other parts of Syria,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos.   Mr. Ban last week voiced grave concern about the continued and indiscriminate use of heavy weapons and mortar shelling in the ongoing conflict, particularly in hard-hit Aleppo which the Government has targeted with “barrel bombs,” or oil drums filled with explosives and shrapnel and dropped by aircraft.   “People have suffered more than enough,” Ms. Amos said, adding that insecurity continues to have a major impact on efforts to reach people with life-saving assistance.   “I remind all parties to the conflict of their obligation under international humanitarian and human rights law, and their responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians,” she said.   Ms Amos underscored that humanitarian organizations operate in a neutral and impartial manner, and need unhindered access to safely reach all people.   Over 130,000 people have already been killed in Syria and 8 million driven from their homes, with 2 million of them seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, since the conflict first erupted in March 2011.   There is now an average of 127,000 people pouring out of Syria each month, according to the latest figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which added that the number of registered refugees is expected to surpass 4 million at the end of next year.   Across the region, some 400,000 refugees live in formal camps, but nearly 2 million reside outside formal settlements, the UN agency noted.   To try and keep pace with the exodus, more than 196,000 tents and 809,000 plastic tarpaulins were distributed to refugees residing in camps and informal sites.   26.12.2013   The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:   The Secretary-General is gravely concerned about escalating fighting in Syria in recent days, particularly in Aleppo, where reports indicate that civilians are among hundreds of people killed and injured.   He condemns the continued and indiscriminate use of heavy weapons and mortar shelling against areas with civilian populations. He reiterates his utter condemnation of the use of “barrel bombs” by Government forces, most recently in Aleppo.   All parties to the conflict must adhere to international humanitarian and human rights law. All civilians must be protected in any situation.   He appeals to the warring sides to free all persons detained or abducted, end the sieges and allow unhindered humanitarian access to all those in need. Most importantly, all must start to work immediately on reducing the levels of violence and focusing instead on a peaceful, political solution to the conflict. Visit the related web page
	UN urges lasting ceasefire in Gaza by UN News, agencies   July 2015   A year after Gaza war, no rebuilding and an uncertain future for all. (Reuters)   Ali Wahdan, a maths teacher from Gaza, lost his wife, 11 members of his family and a leg during the conflict in the town of Beit Hanoun, in the north of the Gaza Strip, during last year''s war between Israel and Hamas.   Nearly 12 months later, doctors amputated his other leg. It was a cruel reminder of how little progress he has made since the 50-day war. In almost all respects, his life and prospects have crumbled.   "The war ended, but my tragedy did not," said the pale 36-year-old, moving himself around in a motorised wheelchair. "I spent the past year going from one hospital to another.   "A year ago I was a teacher standing before my students. Today I am helpless to serve even my children."   The war did come to an end. But on either side, those caught up in it are still struggling to deal with the fallout. Israel and Hamas too are trying to work out whether the truce they have is stable or the next war is just around the corner.   In Gaza, the impact of the conflict is everywhere. More than 12,000 homes destroyed and 100,000 damaged, with none so far rebuilt. Thousands left homeless. Two-thirds of the 1.8 million people recipients of U.N. aid in one form or another. It is the United Nation''s longest-running relief operation, set up in 1949.   More than 70 percent of children in the worst-affected areas of the conflict suffer nightmares and bed wetting, the charity Save the Children said this week. While half do not want to attend school because they are afraid to leave home, the charity said.   More than 500 children were among the 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, who were killed. Seventy-three Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed.   "Many children in Gaza have now lived through three wars in the past seven years, the last one notable for its brutality. They are emotionally and, in some cases, physically shattered," Save the Children CEO Justin Forsyth said.   Homelessness and repeated exposure to violence, coupled with soaring unemployment for parents and limited mental health support, have prevented children from recovering from the mental trauma of war, according to Save the Children.   Around 100,000 people in Gaza are still homeless a year on from the conflict, while major reconstruction of health facilities, water networks and schools has yet to begin, the charity said.   Wahdan and what remains of his family are sheltering in a home built of wood, blue plastic sheeting and metal panels, a far cry from the four-storey building they once occupied. They have a refrigerator but little to cook with.   Across the frontier in Israel, where constant mortar and rocket fire from Gaza rained down ahead of and during the conflict, the impact is less visible but no less real.   Gadi Yarkoni managed a collective farm near the border with Gaza. On the last day of the war he was hit by a mortar. Two friends were killed and he lost both his legs. About 500 children in the area are still receiving post-war counselling.   Yarkoni is now the head of the local council and channels his energy into trying to shore up the regional economy, which in his mind includes building up Gaza''s capabilities.   "Let''s embark on a calm period on both sides, development in the Gaza Strip and development in Israel, and then we''ll see that it is much better than continued bloodshed," he said.   Feb 2015   United Nations offices and humanitarian agencies are expressing alarm over the limited progress in rebuilding the lives of those affected by last summer''s fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.   A joint statement from some 30 international aid agencies said that six months after a ceasefire ended over seven weeks of fighting the Israeli-imposed blockade continues, the political process, along with the economy, are paralyzed, and living conditions have worsened.   “Reconstruction and repairs to the tens of thousands of homes, hospitals, and schools damaged or destroyed in the fighting has been woefully slow. Sporadic rocket fire from Palestinian armed groups has resumed,” the agencies said.   “Overall, the lack of progress has deepened levels of desperation and frustration among the population, more than two thirds of whom are Palestine refugees,” they emphasized.   Living conditions in Gaza were already dire before the latest round of fighting. Most residents were unable to meet their food requirements and over seven years of blockade had severely compromised access to basic services, including to health, water and sanitation.   “But since July, the situation has deteriorated dramatically. Approximately 100,000 Palestinians remain displaced this winter, living in dire conditions in schools and makeshift shelters not designed for long-term stay,” the statement said.   Scheduled power cuts persist for up to 18 hours a day. And the continued non-payment of the salaries of public sector employees and the lack of progress in the national unity government further increases tensions. With severe restrictions on movement, most of the 1.8 million residents are trapped in the coastal enclave, “with no hope for the future,” agencies said.   Bearing the brunt of this suffering are the most vulnerable, including the elderly, persons with disabilities, women and nearly one million children, who have experienced unimaginable suffering in three major conflicts in six short years. Children lack access to quality education, with over 400,000 of them in need of immediate psychosocial support.   Agencies say that the international community is not providing Gaza with adequate assistance. “Little of the $5.4 billion pledged in Cairo has reached Gaza. Cash assistance to families who lost everything has been suspended and other crucial aid is unavailable due to lack of funds,” they noted.   A return to hostilities is inevitable if progress is not made and the root causes of conflict are not addressed, they added, calling on Israel, “as the occupying power,” to comply with its obligations under international law and fully lift the blockade, within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1860 (2009).   The fragile ceasefire must be reinforced, and the parties must resume negotiations to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Most urgently for humanitarian cases, donor pledges must be translated into disbursements, they added.   http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/30_aid_agencies_joint_statement_26_feb_2014_eng.pdf http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/economic-monitoring-report-ad-hoc-liaison-committee-27-may   22 September 2014   The absence of a credible political solution is having “severe consequences” on the Middle East, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today as he urged all parties to reverse the negative trend toward hostilities and return to peace talks that tackle the root causes of the crisis.   “As we have seen with the recent devastation in the Gaza Strip and rising tensions and violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, it is becoming increasingly difficult to contain the situation,” said Mr. Ban at a United Nations high-level meeting on the situation in the Middle East.   The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) meeting, convened by Norway, is taking place against the backdrop of an “extremely challenging and volatile situation on the ground,” said the UN chief.   Mr. Ban said he hoped today’s deliberation would help ensure support for the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) state-building and development objectives, while strengthening Israeli-Palestinian economic cooperation. Peace talks between Israel and the PA were suspended in April.   “Any peace effort that does not tackle the root causes of the crisis will do little more than set the stage for the next cycle of violence,” said the Secretary-General.   The UN estimates last summer’s wave of violence killed 2,101 Palestinians and 67 Israelis, in addition to forcing 475,000 Palestinians to seek refuge at UN facilities inside Gaza.   At the meeting, Mr. Ban reiterated his call that the closure of Gaza must end while addressing Israel"s legitimate security concerns. Gaza must now be opened up for reconstruction and recovery to address the unprecedented destruction. The open-ended ceasefire for Gaza, could serve as a prelude to a political process as the only way of achieving durable peace.   “It is time for sustainable, transformational change in the Gaza Strip. Gaza and the West Bank must be brought back under the effective authority of one legitimate Palestinian Government that adheres to the PLO commitments,” said Mr. Ban.   “The current situation in Gaza is dire, with many people still displaced, unprecedented damage to social and economic infrastructure, and critical shortages of water and energy,” Mr. Ban said, welcoming the agreement between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and UN on the secure entry of construction materials into Gaza.   “The cycle of building and destroying must end. It is time for sustainable, transformational change in the Gaza Strip,” said Mr. Ban.   http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49061#.VDtK9Bb_J30   26 Aug 2014   Ceasefire deal reached in Gaza   A long-term ceasefire has come into effect in Gaza following talks between Israel and the Palestinians in Cairo.   Egyptian officials said the deal called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza"s blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt, and a widening of the territory"s fishing zone in the Mediterranean.   Under a second stage of the truce, Israel and the Palestinians would discuss the construction of a Gaza sea port and Israel"s release of Hamas prisoners in the occupied West Bank.   Minutes before the Egyptian-brokered truce began, a rocket fired by Palestinian militants killed 2 people in an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza border, police said.   UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon warned Israel and Palestinian militants that any violations of the truce would be "utterly irresponsible".   The conflict has taken a heavy toll in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian health officials say 2,139 people, most of them civilians, including more than 490 children, were killed since July 8, when Israel launched an offensive with the declared aim of ending the rocket attacks from Gaza.   Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and five civilians in Israel were killed.   Thousands of homes in Gaza were destroyed or damaged in the most prolonged Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2000.   August 2014   UN relief officials have urged all parties to protect civilians amid the ongoing conflict, which has resulted in thousands of casualties and caused widespread displacement and destruction.   “The reality of Gaza today is that no place is safe,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said in her briefing to the Security Council on the latest situation.   “We have all watched in horror the desperation of children, of civilians as they have come under attack,” she added.   “Under international humanitarian law, the Government of Israel, Hamas and other militant groups must distinguish between military objectives and civilian objects and between combatants and civilians. They must also avoid harming civilians or civilian objects, and protect them from the effects of military operations.”   July 2014   UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his regret that Israel has launched a ground offensive in Gaza, despite calls for restraint, and stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict which flared up over a week ago.   The Secretary-General voiced alarm that, despite the Security Council"s clear demand for a ceasefire, the situation in and around the Gaza Strip has worsened, with grave implications for the safety of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.   “He strongly believes that it is in the interest of both sides that steps toward dangerous escalation be replaced with immediate measures to end the fighting, thus preventing further casualties and greater risks to regional peace and security”.   The statement went on to note that Hamas indiscriminate firing of rockets against Israeli civilian targets is a violation of international law.   “The Secretary-General, abhorring the images of Israeli families hovering in shelters in fear for their children"s safety, repeats his condemnation of Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza and demands an immediate cessation of these indecent attacks,” it stated.   “The Secretary-General is also deeply worried about the impact on Palestinian families of Israeli military action”.   “The Secretary-General does not believe that what is inherently a longstanding, serious political dispute between Israelis and Palestinians can be resolved via military means by either side.   Mr. Ban"s call echoes that made by the Security Council which called for a de-escalation of the situation, restoration of calm, and reinstitution of the November 2012 ceasefire that ended eight days of violence in Gaza and Israel.   More than 1,000 people have died in Gaza and over 5,000 have been injured, with reports half are civilian casualities. More than 100 children are reported to have died and 1000 have been injured in the conflict. Two Israeli civilians and 34 Israeli soldiers have died and a number of Israeli civilians have been injured.   Fighting has also displaced more than 100,000 people – more than 5 per cent of the population of Gaza – who are seeking shelter with the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).   The Secretary-General called on all parties to do their utmost to protect civilians, UN premises and staff, and to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches all those in need.   12 July 2014   With militants in the Gaza Strip stepping up rocket attacks against Israel, and Israeli airstrikes on the enclave intensifying, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he is ‘extremely concerned” by the escalating violence, and reiterated his call on all actors to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further civilian casualties.   “The Secretary-General condemns the recent multiple rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. These indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas must stop,” said a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson in New York.   Israeli-Palestinian violence has flared in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in late June and the subsequent kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem last week.   “The Secretary-General is extremely concerned at the dangerous escalation of violence, which has already resulted in multiple Palestinian deaths and injuries as a result of Israeli operations against Gaza,” said the statement.   “It is imperative now to restore calm. The unsustainable situation in Gaza will also need to be addressed in its political, security, humanitarian and development dimensions as part of a comprehensive solution.”   Over 1,000 Israeli air strikes have hit the Gaza Strip as militants in the Hamas-dominated enclave keep up rocket attacks on the Jewish state.   More than 200 people, including many women and children, have died in Gaza and over 1,200 people have been injured in the violence. Gaza hospitals treating injuries are affected by severe shortages of medical supplies and fuel needed to operate backup generators.   In a statement, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, condemned the killing of at least 70 children and the injuring of many more during the ongoing military offensive.   “We are facing a crisis for the protection of children,” said Leila Zerrougui. “I urge all parties to show maximum restraint to prevent additional child casualties.”   “Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have been down this road before, and it has led only to death, destruction, distrust and a painful prolongation of the conflict,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a news release.   Ms Pillay warned in particular that attacks must not be directed against civilians or civilian objects, nor should military assets be located in densely populated areas or attacks be launched from such areas.   “For its part, the Government of Israel must take all possible measures to ensure full respect for the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack, during the conduct of hostilities, as required by international humanitarian law. In all circumstances, they must avoid targeting civilians,” she said.   Speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, secretary-general Ban Ki-moon had appealed for a ceasefire and has called on the international community to do everything to halt the escalating violence.   "Once again, civilians are paying the price for the continuation of conflict," he said, adding that the excessive use of force is intolerable.   The United Nations has called for both sides in the conflict to use all possible measures to avoid civilian deaths.   On Saturday the UN Security Council released a statement calling for a ceasefire and expressed serious concern about the welfare and protection of civilians on both sides.   "The Security Council members called for de-escalation of the situation, restoration of calm, and reinstitution of the November 2012 ceasefire," the 15-member body said in the statement.   It also expressed "serious concern regarding the crisis related to Gaza and the protection and welfare of civilians on both sides" and called for respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.   Deputy head of the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, Maria Jose Torres, says Israeli airstrikes have raised concerns about the fate of civilians, particularly women and children.   "I think it is quite worrisome to see there are 30 children and 17 women killed," she said.   Ms Jose Torres says there has also been indiscriminate rocket fire by armed groups in Gaza targeting main Israeli population centres. The UN has also warned Israel that it could be violating the laws of war by bombing Palestinian homes in Gaza.   "Homes are not legitimate military targets," said a spokeswoman for the UN"s human rights office, Ravina Shamdasani.   Responding to the high number of Palestinian civilians being killed, a member of Israel"s cabinet Jacob Perry told the BBC that "Israel makes every possible effort not to hit civilians". Stating that only Hamas and other militant locations were being targeted.   But with nearly 2 million people living in such a narrow strip of land, the risks of ongoing civilian injuries is inevitable. There are currently reported to be 182,000 displaced people taking shelter in 82 schools.   Hamas has launched over 2,000 rockets into Israel, triggering sirens in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, and many have been intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.   Israeli leaders have warned of a lengthy campaign and possible ground invasion of one of the world"s most densely populated territories, home to nearly two million Palestinians.   http://reliefweb.int/country/pse http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2014/14-07-israel-palestine-gaza-water.htm http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/audiovisuals/video/2014/07-21-israel-palestine-gaza-mardini-av200b-video.htm http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2014/07-27-gaza-west-bank-israel-civilians-and-humanitarian-workers.htm http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/oPt_74589.html http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/safe-places-children-gaza-unicef-officer-says/ http://www.unrwa.org/ http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/ http://protectingeducation.org/news/ http://www.protectingeducation.org/draft-lucens-guidelines-protecting-schools-and-universities-military-use-during-armed-conflict http://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/publications/AttacksonSchoolsHospitals.pdf http://www.amnesty.org/press-releases/2015/03/palestinian-armed-groups-killed-civilians-on-both-sides-in-attacks-amounting-to-war-crimes-during-2014-gaza-conflict/ Visit the related web page
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