UN calls on donors to fulfil their obligations toward Gaza

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nikolay Mladenov has called on the international community to shoulder its responsibility towards Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, calling on donors to fulfil their obligations to support the reconstruction process in the beleaguered enclave.

“The international community had a responsibility to help Palestinians there recover from the physical and emotional trauma of war, rebuild their lives and livelihoods, and ultimately to see Gaza and the West Bank reunited and the closures lifted,” Mladenov told the Security Council.

The UN official noted that Gaza’s residents currently receive only eight to 12 hours of electricity per day, adding that the enclave’s chronic energy and water crisis must be tackled without delay.

“Three Palestinian children had died when their house had caught fire from a candle lit during a power cut,” he said.

Mladenov urged Palestinian and Israeli leaders to engage, through the initiatives that have been put forward, to bring a just, comprehensive and enduring peace to their people.