U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday spoke with U.N. staff in Gaza via video link and thanked them for their courageous efforts amid the ongoing conflict. Ban expressed his solidarity with the staff of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) during the call from Cairo. "I'm still working very hard to bring an end to this intolerable situation," Ban told the staff, who briefed him on their efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as the daily challenges they face. According to UNRWA, the number of displaced people in Gaza is now nearly triple the peak number from the 2008-2009 conflict, and exceeds 140,000 people who have sought refuge in 83 schools.
