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UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon Says 'Cycle Of Suffering' In Gaza 'Shames The World'

Ban Ki-Moon Says 'Cycle Of Suffering' In Gaza 'Shames The World'
Paul Vale
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has lambasted the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that the “cycle of suffering” has “shocked and shamed the world”. Speaking on Wednesday, the UN chief demanded international help in rebuilding Gaza, a region that former US president Jimmy Carter described as “pulverized” in a recent comment piece for Foreign Policy.

"We will build again, but this must be the last time to rebuild," Ban told the UN assembly in New York. "This must stop now. They must go back to the negotiating table. We must spare no effort to turn the current calm into a durable cease-fire that addresses the underlying issues of the conflict: ending rocket fire from Gaza, weapons smuggling, opening the (Gaza) crossings, lifting the blockade and bringing Gaza back under one Palestinian government that accepts and adheres to the PLO commitments."

During the negotiations for a permanent cease-fire, which started in Cairo on Wednesday, the Israeli delegation made clear their demand for Hamas to disarm, a pre-requisite for Tel Aviv if they are to countenance the militant's request to end the blockade on the Strip, an border closure imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas took power in 2007.

Gaza Aftermath
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Palestinians inspect their destroyed homes in Shejaiya, Gaza which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes
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A Palestinian searches for salvageable items from the rubble of his house that was destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Aug. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Palestinians salvage what they can of their belongings from the rubble of their destroyed apartment in a building hit by an Israeli strike in Beit Lahiya, the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Aug. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A Palestinian woman carries her baby as she walks across the rubble of a building where rescue workers are searching for victims of the Israeli military offensive, close to the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza Strip, on August 4, 2014. Civil defence workers and medics are searching the neighborhood looking for victims of the ongoing Israeli military operation which has killed some 1,829 Palestinians, mainly civilians. AFP PHOTO / MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:MAHMUD HAMS via Getty Images)
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A Palestinian walks by the rubble of houses, destroyed by Israeli strikes in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. Israel and Hamas began observing a temporary cease-fire on Tuesday that sets the stage for talks in Egypt on a broader deal on the Gaza Strip, including a sustainable truce and the rebuilding of the battered, blockaded coastal territory.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Gaza, Palestinian Territories - 06 Aug 2014Young boy crying in front of demolished homes6 Aug 2014
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alestinians inspect the rubble of their destroyed houses during the 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Shujaya neighborhood, Gaza on August 05, 2014. A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire has already begun in the Gaza Strip upon an Egyptian proposal to give the Palestinians and the Israelis the chance to hammer out a final arrangement and an end to the Israeli war on Gaza. (Photo by Naaman Omar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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alestinians inspect the rubble of their destroyed houses during the 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Shujaya neighborhood, Gaza on August 05, 2014. A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire has already begun in the Gaza Strip upon an Egyptian proposal to give the Palestinians and the Israelis the chance to hammer out a final arrangement and an end to the Israeli war on Gaza. (Photo by Naaman Omar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Palestinians collect usable staff inside the debris during 72-hour humanitarian ceasefireCaption:GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 6: A Palestinian collects usable staff inside the debris during the 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Shujaya neighborhood, Gaza on August 6, 2014. A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire has already begun in the Gaza Strip upon an Egyptian proposal to give the Palestinians and the Israelis the chance to hammer out a final arrangement and an end to the Israeli war on Gaza. (Photo by Onur Coban/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Palestinians collect usable staff inside the debris during 72-hour humanitarian ceasefireCaption:GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 6: Palestinians collect usable staff inside the debris during the 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Shujaya neighborhood, Gaza on August 6, 2014. A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire has already begun in the Gaza Strip upon an Egyptian proposal to give the Palestinians and the Israelis the chance to hammer out a final arrangement and an end to the Israeli war on Gaza. (Photo by Onur Coban/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Palestinians collect usable staff inside the debris during 72-hour humanitarian ceasefireCaption:GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 6: A Palestinian boy collects usable staff inside the debris during the 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Shujaya neighborhood, Gaza on August 6, 2014. A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire has already begun in the Gaza Strip upon an Egyptian proposal to give the Palestinians and the Israelis the chance to hammer out a final arrangement and an end to the Israeli war on Gaza. (Photo by Onur Coban/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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A view of destroyed houses by Israeli forces, in Gaza city, Gaza on 6 August, 2014. (Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Palestinians inspect their destroyed homes in Shejaiya, Gaza which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes
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Palestinians inspect their destroyed homes in Shejaiya, Gaza which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes
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Palestinians inspect their destroyed homes in Shejaiya, Gaza which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes
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Palestinians inspect their destroyed homes in Shejaiya, Gaza which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes
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Palestinians inspect their destroyed homes in Shejaiya, Gaza which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes

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