UN Secretary General on Gaza: Conflict Parties Should Exercise Maximum Restraint

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on the parties to conflict in Gaza to refrain from hostilities and restore peace as the clashes on border have intensified in recent days, his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

 “The Secretary-General is following closely the latest security developments in Gaza. He urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint. The United Nations Special Coordinator, Nickolay Mladenov, is working closely with Egypt and all concerned parties to restore calm,” Haq said in a statement attributed to the secretary general.

The Israeli military said some 300 rockets were fired by the Palestinian militants throughout Monday into Israel’s southern territories. In response to the Palestinian shelling, the Israeli military attacked over 70 militant targets in the Gaza Strip from the ground and the air.

According to local doctors, three Gaza Strip residents died in Israeli strikes. One of the Israeli airstrikes specifically targeted the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV station.

READ MORE: Lebanon Urges Global Community to Stop Airstrikes on Gaza

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to cut short his visit to Paris over the escalation of violence on the Israeli border of the Gaza Strip.

The relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians near the Gaza border have been increasingly tense since 2005. The Gaza Strip is one of the two parts of the partially recognized State of Palestine. Palestinian protesters continue regular clashes with the Israeli troops on the border, while the Israeli side accuses Gaza of ongoing shelling.