The United Nations says: “We did not ask for the moon” when it called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza

On October 28, this body approved a resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian truce” in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

“This must be done for as long as possible to facilitate an unhindered humanitarian response,” Griffiths urged while presenting a ten-point plan.

He appealed: “Give the people of Gaza a break from the terrible things that have been imposed on them in the past few weeks.”

He also called on Hamas to release all the “unconditional” hostages it captured during its “brutal and inhumane” attacks carried out on October 7 in Israel, which left 1,200 people dead, according to Israeli authorities.

Since then, Israeli military retaliation against the Gaza Strip has left more than 11,000 people dead, most of them women and children, although the numbers may be much higher as they have not been updated in the past five days due to a communications outage. He said in the region.

Among the ten points called for by the United Nations, the continued flow of aid and more access points to Gaza stand out, especially the Kerem Shalom crossing, through which 60% of goods entered before the start of hostilities. The only accessible crossing currently is Rafah, on the border with Egypt.

Likewise, he demanded the necessary fuel to distribute humanitarian aid and keep “people alive.”

Other requirements are the establishment of distribution centers, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations, improved communications, safe areas for civilians, increased shelters for displaced people, and funds to finance this operation, which is estimated at $1.2 billion.

“We are not asking for the moon,” Griffiths said. “We are asking for the basic measures needed to meet the basic needs of civilians and slow the course of this crisis.”

He warned that “although the situation in Gaza is serious now, it could become much worse.”

In turn, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that “the current Israeli proposal for the so-called safe zone is unsustainable” because it is neither “safe nor viable for the number of people who need it.”

He pointed out that “many civilians are not in a position to comply with the instructions of the Israeli forces to move to another place in the face of the imminent bombing” of the areas in which they reside.

In Arabic/Directorate