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UN Secretary General calls for de-escalation in Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Guterres said that he and Lavrov exchanged views on the regional and international issues of peace and security, including Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen and the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Palestine to protect civilian lives.

At a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday, Guterres repeated his urgings to seek de-escalation of the conflict to protect the lives of civilians who are being killed in those absolutely unacceptable circumstances.

Guterres said that he and Lavrov exchanged views on the regional and international issues of peace and security, including Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen and the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Since Monday, the Israeli army and Palestinian groups located in the Gaza Strip have been exchanging strikes sparked by the clashes in early May at the Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, where more than 700 Palestinians were injured.

Hamas’ military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades that controls the coastal enclave, announced launches of hundreds of rockets into Tel Aviv, Be’er Sheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod and other Israeli cities on Tuesday and Wednesday. Israel’s state media reported six fatalities.

The Gaza Strip’s health ministry reported on Wednesday that at least 65 people, including 16 minors, have been killed and 365 more wounded in Israeli airstrikes.