Middle East

UN asks to end hostilities immediately. Israel against

14/05/2021

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on Gaza

May 14, 2021

Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

The Secretary-General appeals to all parties to immediately cease the fighting in Gaza and Israel.

The ongoing military escalation has caused great suffering and destruction. It has claimed scores of civilian lives, including, tragically, many children. The fighting has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole.

The parties must allow for mediation efforts to intensify with a view to ending the fighting immediately. The UN is actively involved in such efforts, which are also crucial for delivering much needed humanitarian aid to the affected people in Gaza.

The Secretary-General reiterates that only a sustainable political solution will lead to lasting peace. He reiterates his commitment, including through the Middle East Quartet, to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements.

Published at www.un.org

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srael’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “reach” Palestinian Hamas militants “everywhere,” adding that they will pay a “heavy price” for attacking Israeli cities amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes targeting Gaza.
“I said we would exact a very heavy price from Hamas and other terror groups, and we are doing so and will continue to do so with great force,” Netanyahu said in a fiery video address.
The prime minister said that, most recently, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked the militants’ “underground targets,” apparently referring to tunnels dug from Gaza into Israel. “Hamas thought it could hide there, but it cannot,” he said.
Continue reading at https://www.rt.com/news/523870-netanyahu-gaza-hamas-airstrikes-continue/

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Israel has rejected Egyptian calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Yedioth Ahronoth quoted high-ranking Israeli political sources as saying that the Israeli response to the Egyptian proposal was: “Do not talk to us now, we are collecting the price and reinforcing deterrence.”
The political sources added that “the general perception of the Israeli political leadership is that the Egyptians, as well as the international community, will allow Israeli operations until Eid El-Fitr, that is, until Wednesday-Thursday night.”
Continue reading at www.defenddemocracy.press