MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - During his visit to the Gaza Strip, United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon told reporters that damages to the area were far worse than those caused by the previous Gaza conflict in 2008-2009, The Times of Israel reported Tuesday.
"The destruction which I have seen while coming to here is beyond description. This is a much more serious destruction than what I saw in 2009," the UN chief was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.
The UN chief was driven through the ruins of Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood on Tuesday and the Jabaliya refugee camp, the areas hit hardest by the latest conflict. Ban Ki-moon also saw the tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the conflict and forced to camp outside of their destroyed homes as he navigated the war-torn area in a convoy of UN vehicles, according to the newspaper.
"I'm asking the leaders of both parties… to resume their talks," Ban Ki-moon was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
"Otherwise it's a matter of time that the violence will continue," he added.
During his visit, Ban Ki-moon also pressed Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume peace talks.
The chief claims the ongoing denial of Palestinian rights and failure to progress in peace negotiations is to blame for the Gaza Strip's recent hostilities.
The UN chief's visit followed a donor's conference co-hosted by Egypt and Norway which raised $5.4 billion to rebuild the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians seek the creation of an independent state on the territories of the West Bank in East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel, as well as on the Gaza Strip territory controlled by Hamas militants.
The strip has been ruled by the Islamist group Hamas since 2007 and been involved in three wars between Hamas and Israel, which recognizes Hamas as a terrorist organization. The most recent 50-day war in June has killed some 2,145 Palestinians and injured some 11,200. On the Israeli side 64 soldiers and six civilians were killed. Palestinian authorities have estimated that over 60,000 residential buildings in Gaza were damaged by Israeli airstrikes. A truce was agreed upon by Israel and the Palestinians on August 26, ending the latest conflict.
