“I am deeply concerned about the growing risk of a broader conflict in the Middle East and implore all parties, along with influential states, to take urgent action to reduce the escalation of the very precarious situation“, said Volker Türk in a statement.
He stressed that “human rights – first and foremost the protection of civilians – must be the highest priority.”
Prevent yourself from spiraling further
Mr Türk noted that civilians, mainly women and children, have suffered unbearable pain and suffering from bombs and weapons over the past 10 months.
“Everything, and I mean everything, must be done to prevent this situation from spiraling out of control. “Into an abyss that will only have even more terrible consequences for civilians,” he said.
The human rights chief is the latest UN official to join the UN Secretary-General António Guterres when calling de-escalation as tensions continue to rise following the series of attacks.
In late July, twelve civilians, mostly children and teenagers, were killed when a rocket hit a football field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
A few days later, a top Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut, followed by the killing of a Hamas political leader in Tehran, Iran.
Last Friday, UN envoy for the Middle East Tor Wennesland said said He had “held critical discussions with the relevant parties and member states in the region, including Lebanon, Egypt and Qatar, in support of regional de-escalation.”
