The United Nations Security Council is discussing the situation in Gaza.
The UN Security Council has not received a concrete peace plan for the Middle East, despite the US promises to deliver such a proposal, Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog told reporters.
"Everybody is waiting for a credible peace plan. We haven't seen that one yet," Skoog said at a media stakeout. "It is a problem that there is no credible plan on the table."
Skoog, who is the current rotating president of the Council, noted that leaders in the United States have been talking about unveiling a new peace plan for nearly a year.
He added Security Council members are wondering whether real preparations for peace are taking place in the region, including efforts involving youth, working with women and non-government organizations.
READ MORE: IDF Aircraft Strikes Palestinians Launching Arson Balloons Across Gaza Border
Skoog described current efforts to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as short-term, rather than long-term solutions. The current efforts amount to nothing more than "band-aids," he said.
President Donald Trump's son-in-law and his senior adviser Jared Kushner is leading US efforts to revive the moribund Middle East peace process. He has not unveiled any specific proposals to kick off a new round of negotiations.
Escalation in Gaza Deeply Worrying — UN Security Council President
This month's United Nations Security Council President Swedish envoy Olof Skoog told reporters on Tuesday that the latest violence in the Gaza Strip raises serious concerns, despite pledges from Israel and Hamas to restore a shattered ceasefire.
"The violent escalation in Gaza in recent weeks is deeply worrying," Skoog said told reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting on the Middle East.
The Swedish envoy underlined the urgent need for humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and called for the immediate lifting of Israel's blockade on the territory. The people of Gaza are caught between Hamas on one side and the unsustainable blockade on the other, he added.
READ MORE: IDF Tank Strikes Hamas Outpost in Gaza Strip After Ceasefire Reached
On Friday, Israeli forces bombed nearly 70 facilities belonging to the Hamas movement after an Israeli soldier was killed as a result of sniper fire in the border area. After the raid, which lasted several hours, media reported that the two parties managed to reach an agreement under Egypt's mediation.
On Saturday, a top-level source in Jerusalem told Sputnik that Hamas had agreed to accept Israel's demands and stop clashes between protesters and the police in the border area, as well as halt launches of arson balloons.
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