UN urges Israel to exercise ‘maximum restraint, calibrate use of force’ in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “gravely concerned” by the ongoing escalation in Israel and Gaza, his spokesman says in a statement.

Guterres “is deeply saddened to learn of increasingly large numbers of casualties, including children, from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and of Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza,” the statement says.

Guterres calls on Israeli security forces to “exercise maximum restraint and calibrate their use of force,” while adding that the “indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars towards Israeli population centers” by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad is “unacceptable.”

“This spiraling escalation must cease immediately,” the statement continues. “The United Nations is working with all relevant parties to de-escalate the situation urgently.”