Israel / Palestine

The UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday he was following the latest exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and militants in the Gaza Strip with “deep concern” over the escalating conflict, and “risk of further loss of life.”

Israeli forces and armed Palestinian groups in Gaza have agreed to a ‘reciprocal and simultaneous’ ceasefire.

The current trajectory of escalating unrest between Israelis and Palestinians is neither sustainable nor inevitable, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Tuesday, delivering his latest report. 

With the converging Ramadan, Easter and Passover holidays now beginning, Israelis and Palestinians must urgently crystalize agreements reached at several recent diplomatic meetings – the first of their kind in nearly a decade – the senior UN official for Middle East peace told the Security Council on Wednesday, while warning of escalating violence and inflammatory rhetoric on both sides.

In response to the latest violent unrest in the West Bank, the UN Middle East envoy has underlined the need for Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation. 

Following the latest wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland on Monday appealed for both sides to take action towards addressing core issues fuelling their conflict. Mr. Wennesland said he was gravely concerned by the deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank, particularly the violence in Huwwara that erupted over the past 24 hours. 

Regional and international partners must collectively work with greater urgency and determination to help Palestinians and Israelis break chronic cycles of violence and restore a credible political horizon, the UN chief said on Wednesday.

As violence mounts between Israelis and Palestinians, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday called for an end to the “illogic of escalation”, appealing for leaders to urgently work to resolve their decades-long conflict. 

The Israeli military has launched air raids on the besieged Gaza Strip, as fears over escalating violence continue in the region.

More than 150 Palestinians and over 20 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel so far in 2022 - the highest number of deaths in years, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Monday. He reiterated deep concern over the high levels of violence in the past several months, characterized by clashes, protests, attacks, Israeli security operations and other incidents.