THE UN secretary general voiced alarm on Monday over rising violence and calls for annexation of the West Bank by Israeli settlers.
Antonio Guterres, speaking at the UN human rights council in Geneva, reacted to Israel saying its troops would remain for "many months" in the occupied West Bank.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians living there have been displaced by an intensifying military operation.
This comes after Israeli tanks were seen moving into Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Sunday.
“I am gravely concerned by the rising violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and other violations, as well as calls for annexation,” Guterres said, as he urged for the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel to remain intact.
Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said the army is expanding its military offensive across the occupied West Bank and troops are preparing to remain in some refugee camps “for the next year”.
It is understood the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has “evacuated” three refugee camps in the northern West Bank with 40,000 residents displaced.
Israel launched the broad offensive in the northern West Bank on January 21 – two days after the current ceasefire in Gaza took hold – and expanded it to nearby areas.
Guterres stressed that human rights around the world are being “suffocated” and referred to intolerable levels of death and destruction in Gaza.
More than 48,000 Palestinian people have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, according to the local health ministry. Settler attacks and raids by Israeli forces have both intensified in the occupied West Bank since the start of the war.
Guterres then underlined the importance of the fragile ceasefire in place in Gaza.
“We are witnessing a precarious ceasefire. We must avoid at all costs a resumption of hostilities. The people in Gaza have already suffered too much,” he said.
“It’s time for a permanent ceasefire, the dignified release of all remaining hostages, irreversible progress towards a two-state solution, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with Gaza as an integral part.”
