UN chief says Gaza border closure 'intolerable'

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that Israel's blockade of Gaza is "intolerable" and that border crossings into must be reopened to allow aid into the war-battered enclave.

Updated on: Mar 2, 2009, 15:09:08 IST

AFP | By HT Correspondent, Egypt

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that Israel's blockade of Gaza is "intolerable" and that border crossings into must be reopened to allow aid into the war-battered enclave.

"The situation at the border crossings is intolerable. Aid workers do not have access. Essential commodities cannot get in," Ban told international donors gathered in Egypt to pledge aid to rebuild Gaza after Israel's three-week war on the territory.

"Our first and indispensable goal is to open crossings," Ban said.

Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since June 2007 when the Islamist group Hamas seized the enclave.

Ban said the conference should "express our solidarity with the people of Palestine, and especially those of Gaza" as well as "support the efforts of the Palestinian Authority and its leadership to reconstruct Gaza."

Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia and US Iran war Live, get all the latest headlines in one place on Hindustan Times.