CAIRO
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late on Thursday told both the Palestinians and the Israelis that it is morally wrong to kill their own peoples.
Following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Egyptian capital Cairo, Ban described the current situation in the Gaza Strip as "unacceptable".
He said he and Kerry would work, together with several world leaders, tirelessly to put an end to this "unacceptable" situation as soon as possible.
"I am telling to the parties – both the Israelis and Hamas and Palestinians – that it is morally wrong to kill your own people," Ban was quoted by a United Nations statement as saying.
He said parties should shoulder the responsibility of their peoples and also be accountable before international law and human rights. He said the Palestinians and the Israelis must stop fighting right away.
Ban met with Kerry late on Thursday at a hotel in the Egyptian capital Cairo away from the media limelight.
They discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip as well as efforts made to bring about a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.
Since July 7, Israel has pummeled the Gaza Strip – by air, land and sea – with the ostensible aim of halting Palestinian rocket fire.
Last week, Israel stepped up its offensive to include ground operations, sending thousands of troops into the embattled coastal enclave.
Israel's offensive has left at least 797 Palestinians dead, mostly civilians, since it began more than two weeks ago,.
Israel's ongoing operation "Protective Edge" is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populated Gaza Strip, which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians, within the last six years.
In 2008/9, over 1500 Palestinians – the vast majority of them civilians – were killed in Israel's three-week-long operation "Cast Lead."
By Hagar al-Dosoki
www.aa.com.tr/en
