United Nations Radio

The UN Security Council resumed debate Wednesday on the crisis in Gaza.

When the council suspended debate late Tuesday, more than 20 high-level government representatives, including foreign ministers had expressed their views on the deteriorating situation in Gaza:

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband

"The United Kingdom believes that the crisis, and I use that word advisedly, the crisis in Gaza is an indictment of our collective failure..."

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband says that failure is the inability to bring about the two-state solution that offers security and justice for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

He says reports of the deaths of 30 civilians in a UN school in Gaza was a devastating reminder of the urgency of the responsibilities of the international community:

"Early today, the Quartet Envoy called the situation in Gaza 'hell'. The shortages of food, fuel and medicine are, according to our reports, acute. The scale of the suffering is immense. The need for humanitarian supplies is urgent."

Foreign Secretary Miliband reiterated the call for an immediate ceasefire.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.
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