U.N. secretary-general calls on Hamas and Israel to address 'root cause' of conflict

NEW YORK, July 28 (UPI) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon returned from the Middle East this weekend after six days of "extensive consultations" with world leaders regarding the on-going fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Speaking at the U.N. on Monday, he reiterated the need "for an immediate, unconditional humanitarian cease-fire."

The responsibility to end the conflict, he said, rests with the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"Israelis and Palestinians have a responsibility to stop the fighting now -- to start the dialogue now -- and to address the root causes that will finally break the endless cycle of senseless suffering.

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"That means securing peace through mutual respect, an end to the economic strangulation of Gaza and the nearly half century of occupation."

While acknowledging that "No country would accept the threat of rockets from above and tunnels from below," the secretary-general lamented the "scenes of indiscriminate destruction."

Since fighting began on July 8, the U.N. head noted that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, "most of them civilians, hundreds of them children."

Echoing questions of proportionality, Ban pointed out that ten percent of the Palestinian population is currently seeking shelter from the conflict at U.N. facilities.

On July 24, a U.N. shelter in Gaza was bombed in an Israeli airstrike, killing at least 15 people

"More suffering and siege conditions in Gaza will only hurt innocent civilians, further isolate Israel, empower extremists on all sides, and leave our world far less safe."

The U.N. Security Council convened at midnight, releasing a presidential statement early Monday that called for an "immediate and unconditional" cease-fire to allow humanitarian assistance to be delivered to the Gaza Strip.