Washington DC

WASHINGTON

The UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process on Tuesday expressed "serious concerns" about the risk of escalation in the region, particularly between Israel and Hezbollah along the Blue Line.

"I reiterate the Secretary-General's (Antonio Guterres) concern that further military escalation will only guarantee more suffering, more devastation to communities in Lebanon and Israel, and more potentially catastrophic consequences for the region," Tor Wennesland told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

He encouraged all sides to "immediately" take urgent steps to de-escalate the situation.

"The ongoing hostilities in Gaza are further fueling regional instability," he said, adding there must be an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.

Wennesland underlined that the "devastating impact" of the hostilities on the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, and the "unprecedented humanitarian crisis remain deeply alarming."

"The scope of death and destruction in Gaza has been catastrophic and horrifying. Israel's use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas has destroyed entire neighborhoods and damaged hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, schools, mosques, and United Nations premises," the envoy said, "unequivocally" condemning the killing and maiming of civilians in Gaza, including women and children.

Stressing that the protection of civilians is "paramount" in any armed conflict, he said the impact of the ongoing hostilities on the humanitarian situation in Gaza is "deeply concerning."

"The life-threatening conditions facing the more than 1.7 million internally displaced people in Gaza, where nowhere is safe, must be addressed immediately," he added.

Escalating violence in West Bank 'deeply worrying'

Turning to the occupied West Bank, Wennesland said he remains "deeply troubled" by continued Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

"I reiterate that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. I urge the Government of Israel to cease all settlement activity immediately," he added.

The escalating violence and tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are "deeply worrying," he said, reiterating that security forces must exercise "maximum restraint" and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 37,600 Palestinians since Oct. 7.

At least 553 Palestinians have since been killed, including 133 children, and nearly 5,300 injured by Israeli army fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.