UNSC Envoys Call for an End to War in Gaza Strip

UN Security Council envoys called for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip on Monday as they visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, the besieged Palestinian enclave's only entry point for aid.

The Security Council envoys were briefed by the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA on conditions in Gaza before heading towards Rafah. A dozen envoys attended the trip organized by the United Arab Emirates, but U.S. and France representatives did not participate.

Ecuador's U.N. Representative Jose De La Gasca told reporters after the UNRWA briefing: "The reality is even worse than what words can speak."

Asked by reporters if he had a message to nations that opposed a cease-fire in Gaza, China's representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said simply: "Enough is enough."

Most UN member states support an immediate and lasting cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, as conditions worsen for its 2.3 million residents.

However, last week the United States, which backs Israel, vetoed a proposed Security Council demand for an immediate cease-fire.