“We will monitor the progress of the talks through our partners in the region. We will not be physically present at these talks, but our Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Tor Venesland, our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plaschert, and the Commander of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), General Aroldo Latharo, as well as other officials in the region have reached out to interlocutors, trying to do what they can to maintain calm in the entire region,” said Deputy Press Secretary of the Secretary General, Farhan Haq during the press briefing in UN headquarters in New York and added that “the Secretary-General has been in contact with several leaders on the issue.”

The Deputy Secretary General for Political and Peace Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, addressed the Security Council regarding the Israeli attack on the Al Tabi’een school in Gaza City.

Ms. DiCarlo said that “the attack demonstrates once again the desperate need for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza” and recalled that “the Secretary-General has condemned the continued loss of life in Gaza after another attack on a school that housed hundreds of displaced Palestinian families.”

The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacekeeping reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for all to work vigorously for regional de-escalation in the interest of long-term peace and stability and welcomed the efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States to bring both sides to the table to strike a deal on a ceasefire, release hostages and increase much-needed humanitarian aid.