NAM urges UN to protect civilians in Gaza

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Monday urged the United Nations to protect the civilians in the Gaza Strip against the Israeli attacks, media reported.

During a one-day emergency meeting in Tehran of Palestine Committee of the NAM at the foreign ministerial level over the Gaza crisis, the ministers urged the international community and the UN to help provide the victims of the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip with humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis, Xinhua reported citing semi-official Fars news agency as saying.

India and 11 countries namely Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and Malaysia, comprise the member-states of the committee.

The foreign ministers also called on the UN Security Council to adopt measures to compel Israel to cease its military aggression against the Gaza people.

The NAM ministers also welcomed a decision by the Human Rights Council to launch an official international, independent inquiry into all violations of international human rights law resulting from the recent Israeli military aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip.

As many as 1,800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in a near month-long Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

On the other side, 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed in the Hamas attacks.

-Indo-Asian News Service

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