"Israel must exercise restraint to avoid further inflaming the situation," said
Guterres on Saturday.
"I am gravely concerned over the dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza and
southern Israel," he added.
While voicing concerns over the escalation of violence, Guterres also urged
Palestinian factions to avoid what he referred to as provocations.
"It is imperative that all sides urgently step back from the brink of another
devastating conflict," he said, Press TV reported.
He went on to call on all parties to cooperate with the UN to find a peaceful
solution to the crisis, and avoid aggravating the "humanitarian catastrophe" in
Gaza.
Guterres' call came shortly after Israeli artillery units targeted a position
of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement in the Gaza Strip only hours after
it was announced that the Tel Aviv regime had reached a truce with Palestinian
factions in the besieged coastal enclave.
Earlier, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and Israel agreed to a truce
following a flare-up of violence in the Gaza Strip. Hamas said through the
efforts of the United Nations and Egypt, the two sides agreed to restore peace
to the coastal enclave.
Funerals held for Friday's casualties
Meanwhile, Funerals have held for four Palestinians who were killed in Israel’s
Friday attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Two Palestinians were killed on Friday evening after Israeli artillery units
fired two shells reportedly at an observation post belonging to Ezzedine al-Qassam
Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas resistance movement, east of the city
of Khan Yunis, located about 25 kilometers south of Gaza City, Arabic-language
Ma'an news agency reported.
A third Palestinian was killed after Israeli jets carried out airstrikes east of
the border town of Rafah.
According to Palestinian medical sources, another Palestinian, identified as
Mohammed Sharif Badwan, was killed in the Zeitoun district of Gaza.
Nearly 120 others sustained critical injuries when Israeli military aircraft and
battle tanks hit targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
Some 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the "Great
March of Return” began in the Gaza Strip on March 30.
A total of 14,811 Palestinians have also sustained injuries, of whom 366 are
reportedly in critical condition.
The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, on the eve of the 70th
anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with
the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Source: IQNA