UNITED NATIONS, Shawwal 11, 1435, Aug 7, 2014, SPA -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded an end to what he called the senseless cycle of suffering in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Wednesday, telling the General Assembly that "the massive deaths and destruction in Gaza have shocked and shamed the world." Ban urged the international community to support the enormous task of rebuilding Gaza, providing humanitarian aid to thousands in need and treating the wounded. "We will build again, but this must be the last time to rebuild," the U.N. chief told the 193-member world body. "This must stop now. They must go back to the negotiating table." "We must spare no effort to turn the current calm into a durable cease-fire that addresses the underlying issues of the conflict." He said that means ending weapons smuggling into and rocket fire from Gaza, opening its crossings, lifting Israel's blockade and bringing the Hamas-ruled strip back under a unified Palestinian government, according to AP. Ban also called on Hamas to honor past commitments made by Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization, including the right of the state of Israel to exist. The U.N.'s deputy humanitarian chief, Kyung-wha Kang, said the United Nations and its partners have appealed for $367 million to address immediate needs for over 500,000 people ” more than one-quarter of Gaza's 1.8 million population” who "fled for their lives with nothing." She said 65,000 people who have lost everything because their homes were reduced to rubble. -- SPA 00:11 LOCAL TIME 21:11 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w