UN chief calls for immediate cessation of Israel's operations in West Bank

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cessation of Israel's operations in the West Bank, his spokesman said on Thursday.

The UN chief was deeply concerned by the latest developments in the occupied West Bank, including Israel's launch on Wednesday of large-scale military operations in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates, involving the use of airstrikes, which resulted in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, at a daily briefing.

The secretary-general "strongly condemns the loss of lives, including of children," Dujarric said.

Guterres said these dangerous developments were fueling an already-explosive situation in the West Bank, further undermining the Palestinian Authority, and called for the immediate cessation of these operations, the spokesman noted.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 15 people were killed in the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas in less than two days, with many others injured.

The Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation on Wednesday in the Tulkarm, Jenin, and Tubas refugee camps to arrest people accused of involvement in operations against Israel, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources.