The debates will review the tragic humanitarian situation more than a month after Israel attacked Rafah, as part of an offensive that displaced more than a million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This also coincides with the worsening of tensions on both sides of the so-called Blue Line that separates Israel from Lebanon.

In a recent address to the press, UN Secretary General António Guterres assured that further military escalation will only guarantee more suffering, more devastation for the communities of both countries, and more potentially catastrophic consequences for the region.

The Secretary General considered it essential to reduce tensions on both sides by rejecting a military solution to the crisis that has worsened in recent weeks.

According to Guterres, there are concerns for the civilian population living on both sides of the border, and for the United Nations personnel in charge of guarding it, who remain on the front line of exchanges of fire. “The risk of a widening conflict in the Middle East is real and must be avoided,” he said, asserting that a cessation of hostilities and progress toward a permanent ceasefire is the only lasting solution.

Two weeks ago, the Security Council gave the green light to the resolution approved to demand a ceasefire, a demand that remains on the negotiating table without results after more than nine months of conflict.

However, to date and after two draft ceasefires, Israel maintains its offensive against Gaza, described by aid workers as “hell on earth.”

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