UN urges Israel to end Gaza closure

[bemildred]

The UN has said Israel should not collectively punish the Gaza population while responding to security threats.

The organisation has also criticised Israel's decision to close all border crossings with Gaza, preventing delivery of aid shipments to the 1.5 million people living in the territory.

At the same time, Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, called "for an immediate cessation of Palestinian sniper and rocket attacks into Israel, and for maximum restraint on the part of the Israel defence forces".

John Homes, the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said on Friday: "We all understand the security problems and the need to respond to that but collective punishment of the people of Gaza is not, we believe, the appropriate way to do that."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0975414D-6B1A-47FC-9FD2-BCECE52C0827.htm