Head of UN calls for immediate de-escalation in Middle East

UN leader Antonio Guterres wants fighting to calm down quickly in the Middle East.

The UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said that Guterres talked to Iran’s foreign minister on the phone and made the comments after Tehran’s attack on Israel over the weekend. Dujarric said Guterres talked to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday.

During a meeting about a serious situation, Guterres said that the Middle East is very close to a dangerous situation and we need to be careful.

World leaders have told Israel not to fight back after Iran sent a lot of drones and missiles over the weekend. This made the Middle East get closer to a big war. Less than two weeks after two Iranian generals were killed in a suspected Israeli attack in Syria, the attack happened.

There has been more fighting in the area since the latest Israel-Hamas war began in October. In 2007, two militant groups called Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are supported by Iran, attacked Israel from across the border. They killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others. Israel attacked Gaza and has caused a lot of damage and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials.

The UN asks for $2. 8 billion to help three million Palestinians.

The United Nations is asking for $2. 8 billion to help 3 million Palestinians. They need food, clean water, and healthcare in Gaza to prevent a famine.

Andrea De Domenico, who is in charge of helping people in Gaza and the West Bank, said on Tuesday that big efforts are needed to bring back basic services, but it can’t be done while the military is still active.

He said that hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, homes, roads and schools have been destroyed in Gaza. He also said that there are no universities left standing in Gaza.

De Domenico said that Israel is starting to show they want to help Gaza, but the UN keeps asking for more aid.

He said Israel has been saying no and taking too long to let UN aid convoys into Gaza.

The UN person in charge of helping people in need said we need to focus more on preventing famine by making sure people have clean water, bathrooms, and good health care, not just on giving them flour for bread.
The US will make it harder for Iran to do business by adding new penalties, the White House says.

The US will punish Iran with more penalties because Iran attacked Israel from the air for the first time ever on Saturday. This was confirmed by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan said that the sanctions will focus on Iran’s missile and drone programs, and on groups that support the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and defense ministry.

The US expects that other countries in the Group of Seven will also impose their own penalties.

Sullivan said that these new rules and other actions will keep up the pressure to limit and weaken Iran’s military power and effectiveness and deal with all of its troubling behavior.

Israel says Iran fired more than 300 missiles and attack drones in the attack. Iran said the attack happened because they believed Israel had bombed and killed two Iranian generals in Syria on April 1.