Pressure builds for truce as both sides are accused of war crimes

A TOP United Nations official has accused Israel and Hamas of war crimes as pressure mounted for humanitarian truces to deliver vital aid to hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Gaza.

- Jitendra Joshi 

A conference hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris today called for aid to be boosted — although Israel was absent from the meeting and the United States sent only low-level representation.

Cyprus proposed a humanitarian sea corridor from the port of Limassol to Gaza, which is cut off by Israel. But the UN and aid groups say a ceasefire is essential to get aid through.

“If the parties involved in this conference only discuss technical details such as the number of trucks to be driven through, it will amount to a cosmetic discussion that will delay the real issue, the ceasefire,” said Michel Lacharité, head of emergency operations at Doctors without Borders France.