An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue will be held on Sunday after violence between Israel and Hamas, the UN announced in a statement on Saturday.

UN Security CouncilPhoto: Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Xinhua News/Profimedia

Brazil, which took over the presidency of the Council this month, previously said it would call an “emergency UN meeting” to address the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

“The Brazilian government reiterates that there is no justification for the use of violence, especially against civilians, and calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint in order to prevent the situation from escalating,” the Brazilian Foreign Ministry wrote, adding that “simply managing the conflict is not a viable alternative to resolving the Israeli – the Palestinian problem, and the resumption of peace talks is urgent.”

  • On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched its worst attack on Israel in years in a surprise attack that combined armed fighters who breached security barriers and a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The attack happened at dawn on Saturday, during the great Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
  • The death toll is hundreds of dead and thousands of wounded in both Israeli and Palestinian camps.
  • “We are in a state of war and we will win,” the Israeli prime minister responded. “Our enemy will pay a price he has never known before,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video speech.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack by Hamas and called for “every diplomatic effort to avoid a wider spread of the fire.”

“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the civilian population and calls for maximum restraint,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

“Civilians must always be respected and protected in accordance with international humanitarian law,” he added.

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  • VIDEO Shocking footage of Hamas attack in Israel: women are raped, kidnapped or killed, civilians are killed in the street, soldiers’ bodies are abused, men are beaten and taken prisoner
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