'Not asking for the moon': UN official pleads for Gaza ceasefire

A top United Nations official on Friday renewed calls for a "humanitarian ceasefire" to allow aid to reach the 2.2 million people trapped in the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas.

"Call it what you will, but the requirement, from a humanitarian point of view, is simple. Stop the fighting to allow civilians to move safely," UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in an address to the UN General Assembly. "We are not asking for the moon," Griffiths said. "We are asking for the basic measures required to meet the essential needs of the civilian population and stem the course of this crisis."

Griffiths also called for the release of all hostages held in Gaza without condition. "Give the people of Gaza a breather from the terrible, terrible things that have been put on them these last few weeks," Griffiths pleaded. The call comes days after the UN Security Council called for "extended humanitarian pauses" in the Gaza Strip, the first time it has broken its silence since the start of the war.

Griffiths called for opening more border crossings into Gaza, especially the Kerem Shalom checkpoint, which was responsible for 60 per cent of goods getting into the besieged territory before the start of the war. Currently, only the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is open. Griffiths said that fuel was essential for distributing humanitarian aid and "keeping people alive."

He also called for improved access for humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza and allowing civilians to move to safer areas. The humanitarian response will cost an estimated $1.2 billion, of which only 132 million have been received so far, he said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, dismissed Israel's calls for civilians in Gaza to evacuate to "safe zones" in the south. "The zone is neither safe nor feasible for the number of people in need," Turk said.