Aid groups call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, say there are no safe zones

Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told a conference in Paris on Thursday that an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was an absolute necessity. "We cannot wait a minute more for a humanitarian ceasefire or lifting of siege which is collective punishment," he said.

"Without ceasefire, lifting of siege and indiscriminate bombarding and warfare, the hemorrhage of human lives will continue." Medecins Sans Frontieres chief Isabelle Defourny called southern Gaza safe-zones "fake zones".