Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Middle East Conflict topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
UN official urges immediate de‑escalation amid renewed fighting in the Middle East
Summary
A UN agency official called for immediate de‑escalation across the Middle East, condemned attacks on civilians and settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, and warned that regional escalation risks wider impacts on humanitarian access and civilian infrastructure.
An agency official at a United Nations press briefing urged immediate de‑escalation across the Middle East and warned that renewed fighting is risking civilian lives and vital infrastructure.
"Immediate de escalation is essential," the agency official said, adding that "the protections of civilian and civilian objects is critical" and noting that hospitals and water supplies "must be spared." The official reiterated that all parties must respect obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.
The briefing cited multiple incidents in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that Israeli authorities issued displacement orders to families in the Zaytun neighborhood east of Gaza City and that "more than 30 families were displaced as their tents were destroyed." The UN said it and partners are preparing distributions of tarpaulins, jerry cans, hygiene kits, blankets and mattresses.
On the West Bank, UN colleagues documented attacks that included the killing of two Palestinians in Deir Jarir and arson of a home and agricultural land in the Nablus governorate that displaced a family of five. The agency official said the UN "condemns all these attacks by settlers on Palestinian communities" and stressed that perpetrators must be held to account.
The official also described concerns about the wider regional risk, citing renewed Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia and the potential for a broader escalation that would affect freedom of navigation and global commerce. The statement referenced relevant Security Council resolutions as part of the legal framework the UN expects parties to follow.
The briefing concluded with a reminder of the UN's humanitarian response in Gaza, where a multipurpose cash assistance project funded by the OPT Humanitarian Fund has reached more than 200 families in Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya, focusing on vulnerable and female‑headed households.
The agency official closed by stressing the need for dialogue and diplomacy and urging all parties to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure as hostilities continue.
