United Nations Radio

With the numbers of dead and injured in Gaza and Israel continuing to change each day due to the recent break in the ceasefire between the Israelis and Hamas, John Holmes, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs says one thing is certain – civilians continue to get caught in the crossfire.

Thus far the Under-Secretary-General says UN authorities in Gaza report that more than 320 Palestinians have been killed along with 2 Israelis.

John Holmes, USG for Humanitarian Affairs

"I think the scale of casualties on the Palestinian side reflects the fact that however hard you try to target in circumstances such as those of Gaza with a large population, a small area, civilian casualties are almost impossible to avoid and that's particularly true when so many locations are being targeted. For example as the Secretary-General mentioned a UN compound has been hit and I believe badly damaged although we don't know the extent of that damage at the moment. And one UN staff member and eight UNRWA trainers were killed a couple of days ago."

Mr. Holmes also expressed concern about the impact of Israel's closed border crossings including medical and fuel shortages as well as the physical and psychological damage caused by the air strikes. Meanwhile, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the excessive use of force in the region and has called for all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

Gail Walker, UN Radio

(duration: 1'10")