A humanitarian ceasefire is simply the ceasing of fire, for a set period of time, by all opposing sides in a conflict, and for the duration of the humanitarian ceasefire the opposing sides all allow the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance, such as food, water, medical treatment, rescue, and recovery, to civilians in all of the combat zone.
Humanitarian ceasefires are by definition unconditional, and they only go into effect after all opposing sides agree to them, to the time they will begin, and to their duration.
Humanitarian ceasefires sometimes contain language outlining a process by which a ceasefire may be achieved during the time the humanitarian ceasefire is in effect.
In the current conflict in Gaza so far, it has not been possible to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire because the Israeli government only agrees to ceasefires which contain unilateral conditions.
Under these unilateral conditions the IDF continues military operations in parts of the Gaza Strip and does not allow humanitarian assistance to be provided to civilians in the areas the IDF has occupied in the Gaza Strip and in some areas next to these occupied areas.
There has only been the one 12-hour period on Saturday which is now often referred to as a 'humanitarian pause'.
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According to the New York Times and Haaretz this is the draft of a framework for a humanitarian ceasefire which was prepared by representatives of the UN, the EU, the Arab League, and several countries and submitted to the Israeli government last Friday by SoS Kerry.
The Israeli government refused to agree to it.
CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT 5pm Friday CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT
Framework for Humanitarian Cease-Fire in Gaza
Acknowledging the urgency of protecting civilian lives, ending the violence in Gaza and achieving a sustainable ceasefire and enduring resolution of the crisis, the Palestinian factions and the State of Israel make the following commitments:
a) Establish a humanitarian ceasefire, ending all hostilities in and from the Gaza Strip, beginning in 48 hours and lasting for a period of seven days.
b) Build on the Cairo ceasefire understandings of November 2012.
c) Convene in Cairo, at the invitation of Egypt, within 48 hours to negotiate resolution of all issues necessary to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and enduring solution to the crisis in Gaza, including arrangements to secure the opening of crossings, allow the entry of goods and people and ensure the social and economic livelihood of the Palestinian people living in Gaza, transfer funds to Gaza for the payment of salaries for public employees, and address all security issues.
During the period of the humanitarian ceasefire, the parties will refrain from conducting any military or security targeting of each other, and will permit the delivery of humanitarian aid, including, but not limited to, food, medicine and shelter, to the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Members of the international community, including the United Nations, the Arab League, the European Community, the United States, Turkey, Qatar and many others, support the effective implementation of the humanitarian ceasefire and agreements reached between the parties, in cooperation and coordination with the parties, and will join in a major humanitarian assistance initiative to address the immediate needs of the people of Gaza.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
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Just after midnight Sunday night the United Nations Security Council met and approved a UN Security Council Presidential Statement which calls for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire.
28 July 2014
Security Council
7225th Meeting (AM)
EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER DETERIORATING SITUATION IN GAZA, CIVILIAN CASUALTIES,
SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR FULL RESPECT OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW
The Security Council expressed its grave concern regarding the deterioration in the situation in the Middle East as a result of the crisis related to Gaza and the loss of civilian lives and casualties.
The 15-member body, in a presidential statement (S/PRST/2014/13) on the situation in the Middle East, expressed strong support for the call by international partners and the Secretary-General of the United Nations for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire.
The Council welcomed efforts of international partners and the convening of the international meeting to support the ceasefire recently held in Paris, emphasizing that civilian and humanitarian facilities, including those of the United Nations, had to be respected and protected.
Calling for full implementation of resolution 1860 (2009), the Security Council urged the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, lived side by side, as envisioned in resolution 1850 (2008).
The meeting began at 12:02 a.m. and ended at 12:11 a.m.
Presidential Statement
The text of Security Council presidential statement S/PRST/2014/13 reads as follows:
“The Security Council expresses grave concern regarding the deterioration in the situation as a result of the crisis related to Gaza and the loss of civilian lives and casualties.
“The Security Council calls for full respect of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilian population, and reiterates the need to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of civilians and their protection.
“The Security Council expresses strong support for the call by international partners and the Secretary-General of the United Nations for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire, allowing for the delivery of urgently needed assistance, and they urged all parties to accept and fully implement the humanitarian ceasefire into the Eid period and beyond. The Security Council commends the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the US Secretary of State John Kerry for their efforts in this regard.
“The Security Council also calls on parties to engage in efforts to achieve a durable and fully respected ceasefire, based on the Egyptian initiative. In this regard, the Security Council welcomes the efforts of international partners and the convening of the international meeting to support the ceasefire held in Paris on 26 July 2014 and urges all concerned regional and international parties to vigorously support efforts to consolidate an agreement between the parties.
“The Security Council emphasizes that civilian and humanitarian facilities, including those of the UN, must be respected and protected, and called on all parties to act consistently with this principle.
“The Security Council calls for the full implementation of resolution 1860 (2009) and stressed the need for immediate provision of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip, including through urgent additional contribution to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). The Security Council recognizes and commends the vital role played by the Agency, along with other United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations, in addressing the critical humanitarian needs in Gaza.
“The Security Council urges the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders as envisioned in Security Council resolution 1850 (2008).
http://www.un.org/...
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PM Netanyahu's response to the UN Security Council Presidential Statement as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday slammed a UN Security Council statement calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, saying during a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the statement addresses the needs of a murderous terrorist organization, but not those of Israel.
The statement, he said, does not address Israel's demands for the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, a principle already established by previous interim agreements with the Palestinians.
“The statement did not deal with the harm done to Israeli civilians, nor to the fact that Hamas turned Gaza civilians into human shields,” he said. Netanyahu, who met Ban in Jerusalem last week, also complained that the statement made no mention of the fact that Hamas used UN facilities to attack Israeli civilians.
http://www.jpost.com/...
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Secretary-General's press encounter upon return from visiting the Middle East
New York, 28 July 2014
Secretary-General's press encounter upon return from visiting the Middle East
New York, 28 July 2014
Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. Eid Mubarak.
I am about to brief the Security Council on the vital role of regional organizations to United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Before I do, I just wanted to update you on the current situation in the Middle East.
Let me begin by reinforcing last night’s call of the Security Council, calling for an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire.
As you know, I issued a statement yesterday calling for a 24 hour extension of the humanitarian ceasefire and I did the same early this morning.
As the world marks Eid al-Fitr, it is time for an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire. In the name of humanity, the violence must stop.
As you know, I have just returned from the region.
Over the course of six days, I held extensive consultations with leaders in the region, in eight countries, as well as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who has been working tirelessly and valiantly to end the fighting.
Since my return during the weekend, I have continued with a number of calls to world leaders, including Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu of Israel this morning. I had a long talk with him, again urging him to stop this violence and agree and honour the international community’s joint, common efforts and call for an urgent humanitarian unconditional ceasefire.
Gaza is in a critical condition.
Israeli missiles have pummelled Gaza.
Hamas rockets have randomly struck Israel.
No country would accept the threat of rockets from above and tunnels from below.
At the same time, all occupying powers have an international legal obligation to protect civilians.
I was deeply disappointed that dangerous hostilities resumed on Sunday – but since Sunday evening a relative and very fragile calm on the ground has been established.
The temporary weekend pause in fighting brought a brief respite to war-weary civilians. It also revealed how much the massive Israeli assault has devastated the lives of the people of Gaza.
We saw scenes of indiscriminate destruction.
Some described it as a "man-made hurricane" - whole neighbourhoods reduced to debris, rubble; blocks of flattened apartment buildings; scores of bodies still buried under mountains of twisted wreckage.
The death toll keeps climbing. The fighting has claimed well over 1,000 Palestinian lives - most of them civilians, hundreds of them children.
Hamas rocket fire has claimed the lives of three Israeli civilians.
At least 16 Palestinian civilian deaths and more than 200 injuries came as a result of an appalling assault on a UN school in Beit Hanoun.
We were sheltering families – women and children – who had sought refuge from the fighting.
Ongoing hostilities have prevented establishing conclusive responsibility. It is imperative to do so and to have accountability for this outrageous crime.
Indeed, there must be accountability and justice for crimes committed by all sides.
On Friday, I spoke with some of our UNRWA staff to thank them for their heroic work. One of our colleagues told me, "There is no safe place in Gaza."
The people of Gaza have nowhere to run. They are trapped and besieged on a speck of land. Every area is a civilian area.
Every home, every school, every refuge has become a target.
The casualty and damage figures also raise serious questions about proportionality.
Today, more than 173,000 Gazans are seeking protection in UNRWA facilities. That means about 10 per-cent of the entire population is sheltering under the UN flag.
I repeat yet again my call on Israel and all parties to do vastly more to ensure the safety of these UN sites and the security of the people who have sought sanctuary there.
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.
That means securing peace through mutual respect, an end to the economic strangulation of Gaza and the nearly half century of occupation.
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.
That is why I will continue to work with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other regional and global leaders to deliver the peace that the Israeli and Palestinian people so desperately need and so fully deserve.
Thank you.
http://www.un.org/...
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28 July 2014
Secretary-General
SG/SM/16051
Secretary-General Urges Parties in Gaza to Prolong Suspension of Fighting,
‘Step Back’ from Inflicting More Tragic Violence on Civilians
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
The Secretary-General calls on the parties to renew a humanitarian pause in Gaza and reiterates his demand for a durable ceasefire that could set the ground for the start of comprehensive negotiations. In this connection, he welcomes the Security Council’s strong support in its presidential statement earlier today for his call for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Following a largely observed 12-hour humanitarian pause on 26 July, the Secretary-General called on all parties to prolong the suspension of the fighting for an additional extendable period of 24 hours to allow vital humanitarian efforts to continue, including relief operations. The parties have expressed serious interest in this request but have not yet agreed on the timing of its implementation. As people around the world mark Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan and a time for overcoming differences, the Secretary-General calls on parties to build on the current calm.
With hundreds of Palestinians already killed in Gaza and horrifying levels of physical destruction, he urges those responsible to step back from provoking or inflicting yet more tragic violence on civilians there.
The Secretary-General stresses that Israelis and Palestinians have a responsibility beyond ceasing the ongoing hostilities to start a serious dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict. This is the only way finally to break the seemingly endless cycle of violence and suffering. That means an end to the blockade of Gaza and ultimately to the nearly half century of occupation. It equally means security for Israel. He urges the parties to heed his call and that of the international community for the sake of present and future generations of Palestinians and Israelis.
http://www.un.org/...