UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (archive photo). The UN calls for stopping another escalation in the Middle East Peace and Security
Commenting on the attacks by the Israel Defense Forces on targets in the Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday night into Saturday, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern over the ongoing escalation in the Middle East. This was reported today by the press service of the UN chief.
“All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop,” the statement said.
The Secretary-General reiterates his urgent call on all parties to cease military action, including in Gaza and Lebanon, to make every effort to prevent a full-scale regional war, and to return to the path of diplomacy.
The situation in northern Gaza
Meanwhile, Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza remains under siege, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has managed to contact staff at the facility, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. He added that three health workers and another hospital employee were injured, 44 medics were detained, and four ambulances were damaged. According to the WHO, about 600 people are currently sheltering in the hospital, including patients, health workers and displaced people.
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Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, called for no more of what Israeli troops are doing in besieged northern Gaza.
“Hospitals have been damaged and health workers have been detained. Shelters have been emptied and burned. Rescuers have been unable to rescue people from the rubble. “Families have been separated and men and boys are being taken away in truckloads,” Msui said in a statement released on Saturday.
“Hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been killed. Tens of thousands have been forced to flee again. The entire population of northern Gaza is at risk of death. This blatant disregard for basic principles of humanity and the laws of war must stop,” she added.