Sharply criticising the Monday’s heavy bombing by Israel on Palestinians facilities near civilian areas, which damaged the adjoining UN offices and injured two staff members of the world body, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for a durable cease-fire and return to the negotiation table.
The Secretary-General deplores the deepening spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians. He is dismayed at Israel's shelling of facilities belonging to Palestinian authority in Gaza near civilian areas with bombs of heavy tonnage, which caused substantial damage to UN offices and injury to two UN employees, Chief UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said on Monday.
Both sides must make every effort to achieve a durable cease-fire and return to the negotiating table as there is no alternative to a political solution of this conflict, Annan
said.
Israeli warplanes and helicopters guns ships attacked the headquarters of the Palestinian authority in Gaza city on Monday injuring at least 37 people.
The air strike was in retaliation to rocket attack by Palestinians and an attack on an Israeli soldier. This was second time that Israel had struck the areas in two days.
A UN staff member suffered a back injury when a blown window and shattered glass landed on him, another suffered concussion and an eye injury and two were thrown from their desks but were not injured, Eckhard said.
Offices of the World Bank and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights were also damaged in the attack.
Bureau Report
