SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS DEADLY INCURSION INTO REFUGEE CAMP
Following is a statement issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the latest military incursion in the Gaza refugee camp Rafah, in which at least eight Palestinians, many of them civilians, have died.� Dozens more have been wounded, including many children, and several houses destroyed.� He sends his condolences to the families of the victims.
The Secretary-General reiterates that Israel, as the occupying Power, must protect the civilian population and desist from using disproportionate force.� He strongly urges the Government of Israel to refrain from such violent actions and return to peaceful negotiations with its Palestinian partners according to the Quartet’s Road Map.
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