United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for an “immediate cessation” of Israeli military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory on Wednesday. 

This comes following the large-scale Israeli airstrikes that took place on August 28, which killed 58 people and wounded 131 others throughout the day. This included an airstrike on a girl’s school with displaced people in the central Gaza Strip. This brings the death and injury toll of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to 40,534. 

The Secretary-General called on the government of Israel to comply with its relevant obligations under international humanitarian law and to protect civilians. This comes following a July ruling from the International Court of Justice that Israel’s settlement and occupation activity in Palestinian territory was in breach of international law. Guterres also denounced Israeli minister Ben-Gvir’s statement that he would build a synagogue on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jeruselum, which is sacred to Muslims as the place where the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven. 

He also called for an end to the Israeli occupation and a return to a political process that would establish a two-state solution. This call represents a strengthening of Guterres’ position, which went from a call for a humanitarian pause on August 17, to an immediate cessation of violence. 

Guterres also warned against escalations and sought greater stability in the Middle East. This comes as Israel launched airstrikes on Lebanon on August 25th while Lebanon responded with hundreds of rockets aimed at Israeli military bases. This stoked tension of broader conflict between Israel and Lebanon which was defused after both parties indicated that they did not want greater escalation.