United Nations, United States:

The UN’s particular coordinator for Center East peace warned Tuesday that the area was at its “most harmful juncture” in a long time, because the struggle between Israel and Iran-backed teams risked spiraling right into a broader battle.

“We have now now entered the second yr of this horrific battle, and the area is on the verge of one more severe escalation,” Tor Wennesland advised the Safety Council.

His remarks come simply days after Israel carried out air strikes on army websites in Iran in response to Tehran’s October 1 missile assault, itself retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

“Each effort — by all of us — should be made to de-escalate the state of affairs and set up a distinct trajectory towards larger peace and stability within the area,” he stated.

Over a yr after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 assault on Israel prompted the devastating struggle in Gaza, which has now prolonged to Lebanon, lethal violence “reveals no indicators of abating,” Wennesland stated.

“We’re witnessing not solely a horrific humanitarian nightmare, however a quickly accelerated unraveling of the prospects for a sustainable decision to this battle.”

He stated that he had visited Gaza final week, the place he noticed “the sheer magnitude of the devastation this struggle has inflicted on the inhabitants.”

“I noticed the immense destruction — of residential buildings, roads, hospitals and colleges. I noticed 1000’s dwelling in makeshift tents, with nowhere else to go as winter approaches.”

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed no less than 43,020 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, based on figures from the Hamas-run territory’s well being ministry, which the United Nations considers dependable, triggering warnings of a humanitarian disaster.

Through the October 7 assault, Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages, together with troopers and civilians, of whom 97 are nonetheless in Gaza. The Israeli army says 34 of them are useless.

The assault resulted within the deaths of 1,206 folks, largely civilians, based on an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

And in Lebanon, based on an AFP tally based mostly on official figures, no less than 1,700 folks have been killed since September 23, when the combating escalated as Israel launched an air and floor offensive towards Hezbollah, which had been finishing up rocket assaults in assist of Hamas.

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