Two-Week Gaza Ceasefire Not Enough to Meet Humanitarian Needs - Doctors Without Borders

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which translates to Doctors Without Borders, said on Tuesday that a two-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which is urged in the recently adopted UN resolution, is not enough to meet the humanitarian needs of the enclave's population.

On Monday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for an immediate Ramadan ceasefire in Gaza leading to a lasting and sustainable ceasefire. The motion was sponsored by the 10 non-permanent members of the council. Fourteen countries voted in favor, while the United States abstained.

This year, Ramadan runs from March 10 to April 9.

"This is a constructive step that must be followed by action, but a two-week ceasefire is not nearly enough time to respond to the overwhelming humanitarian needs. We repeat our urgent demand for a sustained ceasefire now," Avril Benoit, the executive director of the MSF division in the United States, said in a statement.

At the same time, she urged the UN Security Council members to ensure that "the ceasefire is put into action immediately and doesn't end up being merely words on paper."

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 32,400 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.