JERUSALEM: A UN official has urged Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers to avoid a violent escalation on the eve of the first anniversary of the start of the weekly “Great March of Return” protests.
Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian official for the Palestinian territories, issued a statement on Friday outlining the “staggering” human costs a year of demonstrations has inflicted, AP reported.
The statement says 195 Palestinians, including some 40 children, have been killed at the hands of Israeli forces during the past year. Nearly 29,000 Palestinians have been injured, including 7,000 by live fire. A large number of casualties among unarmed Palestinians and clearly-marked medics have “raised concerns” about Israel’s use of unrestrained force.
It says the protests have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, overwhelming a health-care system already stressed by 11 years of Israeli-Egyptian blockade.
Egypt, the United Nations and others have been trying to mediate an agreement to limit the level of violence.
An Egyptian delegation held talks with Hamas and other factions in Gaza in meetings that stretched into the early hours of Friday, officials said.
The leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that security negotiations on Gaza with the Egyptian delegation continue. The negotiations include a cease-fire, the entry of aid, and the opening of crossings.
Haniyeh added that the next few hours will determine which way the situation was headed in.
