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Gaza on a knife-edge, warns UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Gaza is on "a knife-edge" and the Middle East is facing a serious challenge, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.

AFP

Gaza is on "a knife-edge" and the Middle East is facing a serious challenge, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.

Ban spent Wednesday talking with world leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as well as US Secretary of State John Kerry. The talks took place as Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza, killing dozens, in a major new confrontation with Palestinian militants, as Hamas showed its firepower and sent thousands running for shelters across the country.

"Gaza is on a knife-edge. The deteriorating situation is leading to a downward spiral which could quickly get beyond anyone's control.

"The risk of violence expanding further still is real. Gaza, and the region as a whole, cannot afford another full-blown war. "

Ban condemned the rocket attacks launched from Gaza on Israel, saying: "Such attacks are unacceptable and must stop."

He said he had also urged Netanyahu to exercise maximum restraint and to respect international obligations to protect civilians.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Gaza on knife-edge, says Ban Ki-moon
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