Gaza, Palestine (BBN)-The lifting of the economic blockade of the Gaza Strip must form part of any ceasefire deal, the Palestinian prime minister has said.
Speaking during a visit by the UN secretary-general, Rami Hamdallah said it was time for the “siege to stop”, reports BBC.
More than 630 Palestinians and 30 Israelis have been killed in the past 15 days of fighting, officials say.
The Israeli bombardment of Gaza is aimed at stopping rockets being fired into Israel by Palestinian militants.
Both Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry are in the region to try to put an end to the fighting.
They both called for an immediate end to hostilities and for the underlying causes of the conflict to be addressed.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas should be held accountable for rejecting an Egyptian ceasefire proposal.
Hamas says it will not agree to a ceasefire that does not allow for free movement of goods and people across its borders.
Several major airlines announced that they would suspend flights to Israel after a rocket from Gaza struck near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. Israel has asked the US to review the flight ban.
CEASEFIRE PREREQUISITES
Hamdallah, the prime minister of the new unity government between Hamas and Fatah, said it was time to end what he said was the cycle of unrelenting suffering for the Palestinians.
“We demand justice for our people, who everyday and since the beginning of the Israeli occupation have been subject to the occupation for 47 years,” he said.
“It’s time for this aggression to stop and it’s time for this siege to stop.”
The economic blockade was imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007 when Hamas took power in Gaza.
The latest Palestinian death toll of 637 was announced by Gaza’s health ministry on Wednesday.
Authorities also said that the number of injured had passed 4,000 for the first time since the fighting began.
The majority of Palestinians killed have been civilians, including dozens of children, according to the UN.
The IDF also says it has killed at least 170 militants. Israel says 28 of its soldiers and two Israeli civilians have died over the past two weeks.
Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah said that he wanted “justice for the Palestinian people”.
UNRWA said more than 118,300 Palestinians have now taken refuge in its shelters. It says 43% of Gaza has been affected by evacuation warnings or declared no-go zones.
One Palestinian was also killed during a protest against Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
Eyewitnesses said that 32-year old Mahmud al-Hamamra was shot from a passing vehicle.
Two Israelis were injured when a rocket fired from Gaza exploded near Ben Gurion airport.
FLIGHTS CANCELLED
Several American and European airlines cancelled flights to the airport after the attack, with one Delta airlines jet turning around mid-flight.
Israel’s transportation ministry said that the decision “handed terror a prize”, and Benjamin Netanyahu asked the US to reconsider the suspension.
Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry said a previous Egyptian plan should form the basis of a ceasefire.
Speaking in Egypt, Kerry said the US was concerned about Palestinian casualties, but lent his support to Israel’s “appropriate and legitimate” military operation.
He also said the US was sending $47m (£28m) in aid to Gaza “to alleviate the immediate humanitarian crisis”.
Israel launched its ground operation in Gaza after days of air strikes, following rocket fire by militants into Israeli towns.
It says the move is necessary to target Hamas’ network of tunnels, which have been used by militants to get into Israel and carry out attacks.
BBN/AS-23July14-10:00am (BST)
