UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Doha on the first leg of a Middle East tour aimed at ending the conflict.

After a late-night closed-door meeting, Ambassador Eugene Richard Gasana of Rwanda, which holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency for July, told reporters that the council had serious discussion on the situation.

Mr Gasana said the members of the council called for an immediate ceasefire and respect of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.

The 15-member council also emphasised the need to improve the humanitarian situation, including through humanitarian pauses, such as the five-hour truce brokered last week by the Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry.

Meanwhile, Mr Ban is in the region as part of a visit which aims to express solidarity with Israelis and Palestinians and help bring about a ceasefire.

I will continue to press for an [immediate] ceasefire – an immediate end to the Israeli military operation in Gaza and the rocket fire by Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” Mr Ban said at a press conference alongside Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya.

He reiterated his demand that all sides respect international humanitarian law and stop the ongoing violence.

“While I was en route to Doha, dozens more civilians, including children, have been killed in Israeli military strikes in the Shejaia neighbourhood in Gaza,” Mr Ban said. “I condemn this atrocious action. Israel must exercise maximum restraint and do far more to protect civilians.”

The UN Relief and Works Agency said that 81,000 displaced people had now taken refuge in 61 UNRWA shelters in Gaza.

“This figure far exceeds the number seeking refuge with us in the 2008-09 conflict and it is continuing to rise,” UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said in an emailed statement.

Mr Ban and other senior UN officials are reported to have said that the only way to avoid the cycle of violence and the perpetual insecurity in the region by addressing the root causes of the conflict.

They have also urged a return to the negotiating table and talks for a two-state solution.

“Israelis, but also Palestinians, need to feel a sense of security,” Mr Ban said at the press conference. “Palestinians, but also Israelis, need to see a horizon of hope.”

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2014