Guterres’ intervention on Wednesday night comes amid one of the largest operations by the Israeli Security Forces (ISF) in the West Bank in years. The ISF is against terrorists. According to Palestinian media, 17 people had already been killed in the raids and airstrikes, including drones, on Thursday.
In a statement, the UN chief’s spokesman said he was deeply concerned about the airstrikes in Tulkarm and Tubas provinces, which caused casualties and damage to public infrastructure. The UN secretary-general also strongly condemned the loss of lives, including those of children.
Palestinian Authority Undermined
In his call for an end to the violence in the West Bank, the Secretary-General maintained that the latest “dangerous developments” “further fueled the already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank and further undermined the Palestinian Authority there”.
The UN chief also called for the maintenance of the “status quo” at the holy sites in Jerusalem, as he expressed deep concern over the “recent dangerous and provocative actions and statements” of Israel’s national security minister, following his recent visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.
The Israeli military must also comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, Mr Guterres stressed, urging Israel “to protect civilians and ensure their safety (and) to exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable”. In addition, all those injured in Israeli manoeuvres “must have access to medical care”, while aid teams must be able to reach anyone in need, he said.
Security Council meets
The UN chief’s comments come ahead of a hastily convened meeting Security Council meeting on the escalating crisis in New York later on Thursday, at the request of the United Kingdom. The members of the UN’s highest forum – whose purpose is to maintain international peace and security – will meet against the destabilising backdrop of rising tensions and heavy fighting between northern Israel and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon – in addition to the war in Gaza.
On Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, warned that the Israeli military’s actions risked further aggravating an “already explosive situation” – referring to multiple airstrikes in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem on Monday night, which killed five people – three Palestinian men and two boys aged 13 and 15.
Colonist violence in the spotlight
“Three of the fatalities, including the two boys, were killed as they walked past the targeted house…“The camp is located in one of the small and overcrowded alleys in the camp,” OHCHR said, citing multiple sources.
The UN office warned that the situation in the occupied West Bank could “dramatically deteriorate” if the Israeli military “continues to systematically use unlawful lethal force and ignore settler violence”.
Gaza: Polio campaign nearing completion
Meanwhile, UN aid teams in Gaza confirmed that a large-scale campaign against polio will begin next Sunday, aimed at protecting all children under the age of 10.
Poor sanitary conditions and constant evacuation orders due to ongoing Israeli military operations have led to outbreaks of several preventable diseases, including polio.
Last week, a 10-month-old baby, whose mother raised the alarm when he stopped crawling, became the first person to be diagnosed with polio in the enclave in 25 years.
“A lack of water, health care and humanitarian access has created a ‘perfect storm of circumstances’ for polio to resurge in Gaza,” said Sam Rose, Senior Deputy Field Director for UNRWAthe UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
At least 3,000 workers will ensure that more than 640,000 children under the age of 10 receive two drops of oral polio vaccine type 2. The campaign is a joint UN operation involving UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO) And UNICEFthe UN Children’s Fund.