UNITED NATIONS, Jun 17 (NNN-XINHUA) – United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, yesterday called for the full respect of the ceasefire, agreed between Israel and Hamas, on May 20.
Responding to a question about the secretary-general’s reaction to Tuesday’s escalating violence, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the secretary-general, said that, the secretary-general “expresses concern over the most recent round of violence.”
Haq added that, the secretary-general “would like to see the cessation of hostilities be maintained and solidified, in order to give space for the relevant parties to work out arrangements to stabilise the situation.”
Israeli army said yesterday that, it had carried out the first airstrike in the Gaza Strip, since a ceasefire ended its fighting with Gaza’s ruler, Hamas in May.
In the overnight attack, Israeli war jets struck military compounds belonging to Hamas in the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli military spokesperson said.
The statement accused Hamas of being responsible “for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip” and warned that the group “will bear the consequences for its actions.”
“The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities, in the face of continuing terror activities from the Gaza Strip,” the statement read.
Hundreds of Israeli ultra-nationalists marched on Tuesday in East Jerusalem, waving Israeli flags. Some of them chanted “Death to Arabs” and other anti-Arab slurs.
Militants in Gaza responded to the march by launching “arson balloons” that caused at least 13 fires in southern Israel.– NNN-XINHUA
