The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, has emphasised the urgent need for political and security frameworks to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In a recent briefing he expressed deep concern over escalating tensions in the region, highlighted by recent explosions in Lebanon and rocket fire towards Israel.
Wennesland called on all parties to refrain from actions that could further escalate the situation, urging immediate steps for de-escalation.
He stressed that frameworks are essential to address the humanitarian catastrophe, initiate recovery efforts, rebuild Gaza, and lay the groundwork for a political process aimed at ending the occupation and establishing a two-State solution.
He highlighted the importance of facilitating a legitimate Palestinian government capable of reuniting Gaza and the West Bank politically and administratively.
Wennesland pointed out that Palestinian unity is crucial for achieving a just and lasting peace, urging the international community to provide significant support to the Palestinian Authority.
Wennesland also reaffirmed that any progress toward peace must fully recognise the rights of Palestinians to self-determination and sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory while also addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks on each other's capitals early on Thursday, a day after peace talks ended and shortly before US envoys arrived in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin.
A bomb alert temporarily disrupted train services at Calais-Fréthun station in northern France on Thursday morning, affecting both domestic and international rail travel.
A three-story building next to a construction site collapsed in Brooklyn on Wednesday, killing at least two people and sending more than 10 others to hospital, New York City officials said, as rescuers searched the rubble for possible additional victims.
Pakistan released two of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's sisters from prison on Thursday, after weeks in jail ahead of a planned anti-government march by their brother's party, their lawyer said.
An Israeli airstrike on a building at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, killed at least six people, including a surgeon, and wounded 20 others early on Thursday, a spokesman for Gaza's civil defence service told Reuters.