The UN calls for an “immediate” end to the exchange of missiles between Israel and the Gaza Strip

Israel’s ambassador to the UN criticizes Wennesland’s words

5 (EUROPE PRESS)

The UN envoy for the peace process in the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, has called for a further escalation in the Gaza Strip to be avoided and has called for the exchange of missiles between the parties to cease “immediately”.

“In the last few hours, at least ten Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes. I am deeply saddened by the reports that a five-year-old boy has been killed in these attacks. There can be no justification for any attack on civilians,” he said in a statement. release.

In this sense, he has indicated that, given recent events, “the progress achieved in the gradual opening” of the Strip since May “is in danger of fading away” and could imply “even greater humanitarian needs” in a context of economic crisis in that international support “will not be readily available”.

“The UN is fully committed to all stakeholders in an attempt to avoid a new conflict that would have devastating consequences, mainly for civilians. The responsibility lies with the parties to prevent this from happening,” he concluded.

Following the issuance of this statement by Wennesland, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has criticized his words on his official Twitter profile, assuring that comparisons between Islamic Jihad and the Israel Defense Forces “only encourage terrorists to continue their attacks.

“How long will the UN continue to make false immoral comparisons between a democracy that respects international law and designated terrorist organizations that commit war crimes by deliberately targeting civilians?” he said.

The Israeli Army announced this Friday the beginning of a bombing operation against targets of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip after several days on alert for possible retaliation by the organization after the arrest in the West Bank of a senior official. of the group.

The first minutes of the so-called ‘Dawn’ operation have begun with the announcement of the death of a commander of the Islamic Jihad military forces in northern Gaza, identified as Taisir al Jabari, a death that has been confirmed by the militia itself .

After that, the parties have begun an exchange of missiles, both at different strategic points in the Gaza Strip, as reported by the Israeli authorities, and in Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, as reported by the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad.