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MANILA, Philippines -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon condemned the Israeli Defense Force strike on an aid convoy in Gaza that killed two UN contract workers and injured another.
But the Israeli embassy here in Manila said Israel's attacks on Gaza, which have been denounced by various international groups, are part of the exercise of its people's right to defend themselves.
In a statement released by the UN?s Manila office Friday, the spokesman of the secretary general said a total of four members of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been killed since Israeli attacks on Gaza began December 27.
"The UN is in close touch with the Israeli authorities about [a] full investigation of this and other incidents, and about the need for urgent measures to avoid them in the future," said the statement from New York.
At the same time, the UN chief repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire "to facilitate full and unhindered humanitarian access, and to allow aid workers to work in safety to reach persons in need."
Ban noted that humanitarian aid to civilians affected by the attacks has been suspended because UNRWA could not guarantee the safety of its staff.
"The inability of the UN to provide assistance in this worsening humanitarian crisis is unacceptable," he said.
"I would like to clarify that Israel's operation in Gaza is part of the global fight against terror?Israel is expressing our right of self-defense," said Israeli embassy deputy chief of mission Yaniv Revach in an email to INQUIRER.net in response to a set of questions.
Revach also stressed that it is Hamas, not the Palestinians, who are Israel's enemies.
"The Palestinians as a people are not our enemies. They are our neighbors. The Hamas, however, is a violent Islamic terror organization. Its declared aim is to eliminate the State of Israel and murder all its citizens," he said.
Revach said Israel's continuing military operations in Gaza, which have killed more than 500 Palestinians, is in response to the 8,000 rockets fired from the Palestinian territory into southern Israel over the last eight years.
"Israel will take all necessary steps in order to stop the attack against its people?Israelis have the same basic right as the citizens of Manila, London, or Madrid -- to live in safety in our homes without being exposed to the danger of rockets at any given time," he said.
Asked when Israel would stop its occupation of Gaza, Ravech said his country pulled out of Gaza three years ago, but Hamas made the territory its base for ?terror operations.?
"Three and a half years ago, Israel pulled out of the Gaza strip completely. Anyone speaking today of the Israeli occupation of Gaza simply doesn't know what he is talking about. Instead of taking the historical opportunity to change their fate, the Hamas made Gaza into a den of terrorism," he said.
"We will reach an agreement only if Hamas would stop firing rockets into Israel, stop smuggling Iranian-made weapons and rockets through tunnels dug under the Egyptian border," he added.
