United Nations Radio

Life has become "unbearable" for the average person in Gaza, according to the head of the UN humanitarian agency there (known as UNRWA).

UNRWA director John Ging says people have lost hope and are frustrated because of ongoing violence coupled with continued shortages of essential supplies like fuel and medicine.

Mr. Ging says roughly 80 percent of Palestinians in Gaza are living below the poverty line. And, he adds, the population has been driven to despair.

"There's real fear among the people here and it's a justified fear because this year alone, hundreds have been killed; innocent people, and many of them children. And again, there doesn't seem to be any accountability for these actions. And that also feeds the violence as well because people who are desperate, people who are without hope, people who are angry, they fall into the arms of those who are extreme, who are radical and who are violent."

On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeated his call for restraint following violence this week which killed 19 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers.

In a statement, Mr. Ban said he condemned both the reported civilian casualties during Israeli military operations in Gaza, and the use of rocket fire against Israeli civilian targets.

The Secretary-General also called on Israel to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law.

For UN Radio, I'm Dianne Penn.

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