United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday responded to Israel's continued defiance of U.N. pleas to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip by repeating his call for the restrictions to be lifted. “The Secretary General has underscored the importance of having Israel urgently permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and regrets that his calls have not yet been heeded” said a statement attributable to his spokesperson. Israel said on Friday it will maintain its closure of Gaza because of rocket attacks against southern Israel. The U.N. agency responsible for Palestinian refugees said it has supplies for “days, not weeks” for the 750,000 people it serves in Gaza. Israel completely sealed off the Gaza Strip on November 5th and has allowed a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza since.
