UN official raises concern about further Gaza conflict

A senior UN official has expressed concern over the possibility of the start of a new conflict by the Israeli regime against the besieged Gaza Strip.

“Right now, things are not going well, and we’re very concerned about the possibility of a further conflict,” James Rawley, the United Nations’ humanitarian chief for the Palestinian territories, said at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday.

Rawley also urged an additional USD 705 million in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian lands, particularly Gaza, which was hit by the Tel Aviv regime’s devastating assault last summer.

The UN official further called on Israel to lift its siege on the coastal enclave, adding, “To have a complete recovery of Gaza, even to go back to where we were in July (before the 50-day conflict) requires more than construction material going in. It requires a lifting of the blockade.”

The remarks came less than a week after UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, and head of Arab League, Nabil el-Arabi, issued a joint statement, expressing regret about scarce financial resources required for the rebuilding of the war-torn Gaza.

Israel’s 50-day bloody war on Gaza that ended in August 2014 with an Egyptian-brokered truce killed over 2,140 Palestinians, including 577 children. Over 11,100 others, including 3,374 children, 2,088 women and 410 elderly people, were also injured.