UN chief calls for continued ceasefire

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called on Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza to uphold a ceasefire agreement, amid continued rocket barrages on the Negev and closed vehicle crossings into Gaza on Friday.

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Gaza and southern Israel, and at the potential for further suffering and violence. He calls on all parties to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law," read a statement released by Ban Ki-Moon's office. 

"The Secretary-General reiterates his condemnation of rocket attacks. He calls for an end to such attacks and urges full respect by all parties of the calm that has been in effect since 19 June 2008," the statement continued. 

In the statement, Ban expressed is concern that "food and other life saving assistance is being denied to hundreds of thousands of people, and (emphasized) that measures which increase the hardship and suffering of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip as a whole are unacceptable and should cease immediately."

In particular, he called on Israel "to allow urgently, the steady and sufficient supply of fuel and humanitarian assistance (and) to resume facilitating the activities of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and all humanitarian agencies, including through unimpeded access for UN officials and humanitarian workers."

Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni brought up the issue of the Palestinians' ongoing rocket attacks, when she met with Ban during an interfaith conference in New York City. 

At the time, she also appealed to the UN chief to put pressure on Syria to stop arms smuggling to Hizbullah in Lebanon.