UN Secretary-General António Guterres (French)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed the call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, warning of the outbreak of regional conflict, while the Security Council discussed on Friday the situation in the Strip.
"I renew the call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages," Guterres said.
He urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and take urgent steps to de-escalate tensions in the region.
"There is a constant risk of a large-scale regional conflict as the conflict in Gaza goes on," Guterres said.
Guterres expressed concern over what he called the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank, including intensified Israeli operations and settler violence.
The Security Council has once again considered the situation in the Gaza Strip, where Israel continues its military operations, blocks aid and bombs hospitals and various vital facilities.
France's ambassador to the Security Council, Nicolas de Rivière, said that "the priority should be a ceasefire with the support of all parties."
Robert Wood, the US deputy representative to the Security Council, said Israel must take what he called additional measures to avoid harming civilians.
Aggravation of conditions
Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, said the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is worsening.
"Many Palestinians were killed by Israeli bullets in the West Bank, especially Tulkarm and Jenin," he said.
Israel has been waging a continuous aggression on Gaza since October 7, which has so far led to the death of more than 21,<> Palestinians, most of them women and children.
In parallel with the aggression on Gaza, the Israeli occupation is waging a campaign of arrest and murder in various cities and areas of the West Bank.
Source : Al Jazeera