In his fourth visit to the Gaza Strip during his 10 years in office, the diplomat told journalists on Tuesday that he was deeply moved by the inhabitants' resistance despite large obstacles, among these obstacles the blockade imposed by Israel in the last ten years, which he labeled a collective punishment.
Ban talked about the impact of war on the residents of Gaza, where in the summer of 2014 Tel Aviv's army carried out 51 days of bombing, killing more than two thousand and one hundred people, including about 500 children and left 11,000 wounded, half a million displaced and unprecedented destruction to the civilian infrastructure.
According to the Secretary General, 90 percent of schools and hospitals damaged by the Protector Margin Operation have been recovered, as well as part of the thousands of Palestinian homes affected.
"But much remains to be done," warned the official, who asked for support to help rebuild the lives of human beings, ensure the accountability of those responsible, create jobs and put Gaza on the road to lasting peace.
In his remarks to reporters, Ban lamented that 70 percent of the Gaza Strip population -inhabited by one million 800 thousand people need humanitarian assistance and jobs for 50 percent of young people.
According to the UN Secretary General, the solution is to end Israeli occupation and its blockade, and to cease the separation of Palestinians.
"Palestine is only one, and until the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are joint under a democratic and legitimate government led by the rule of law and the principles of the Organization for the Liberation of Palestine, the chances of a full recovery will be limited." he said.
The diplomat is on a tour that began last Wednesday in Cuba and was followed this weekend by France, Kuwait and Israel and will end in the next few hours in Palestine.
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PL-27/MNA
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