UN Mideast Coordinator Calls For Immediate Halt Of Firing Rockets On Israel From Gaza

UN Mideast Coordinator Calls for Immediate Halt of Firing Rockets on Israel From Gaza

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov warned on Monday about the escalating situation in and around the Gaza Strip and called on Palestinians to immediately halt firing rockets against Israel given that such activities have resulted in retaliatory airstrikes that threaten to lead to continued hostilities

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2020) UN Special Coordinator for the middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov warned on Monday about the escalating situation in and around the Gaza Strip and called on Palestinians to immediately halt firing rockets against Israel given that such activities have resulted in retaliatory airstrikes that threaten to lead to continued hostilities.

"The situation is escalating as we speak with continuing projectiles being fired from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes," Mladenov said. "I take this opportunity to call for an immediate stop to the firing of rockets and mortars that only risk dragging Gaza into another round of hostilities with no end in sight."

Mladenov said more than 40 rockets have been fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad towards Israel since February 23 with the IDF has responded by conducting airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday morning, the IDF fired at two Palestinians, who were trying to plant an explosive device at the border fence separating Israel and the Gaza Strip. Israeli military officials said that the two had already tried to place explosives at the border in the past.

Israel has been a constant target of rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement is listed as a terrorist organization in a number of countries in addition to the United States and Israel.