UNITED NATIONS, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is \u201cdeeply disturbed\u201d by the Israeli airstrike Saturday that destroyed a 12-storey Gaza City building, his spokesman has said.<\/p>\n
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric\u2019s comments came in response to reporters\u2019 questions as Israel unleashed airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, killing 10 members of an extended family and demolishing the high-rise building housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera and The Associated Press (AP), an American news agency, as well as residential apartments<\/p>\n
The owner of the building that was demolished said he had received a call from the Israeli military warning that the building would be targeted, after which he said he had about an hour to order everyone to evacuate.<\/p>\n
The strike was part of the ongoing Israeli aggressive actions against the Palestinians protesting evictions from East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah that has escalated over the past week between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>\n
Dujarric, the UN secretary-general\u2019s spokesman, said that Guterres was also \u201c deeply dismayed by the increasing number of civilian casualties, including the death of ten members of the same family, including children, as a result of an Israeli airstrike last night in the al-Shati camp in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Secretary-General reminds all sides that any indiscriminate targeting of civilian and media structures violates international law and must be avoided at all costs,\u201d Dujarric added.<\/p>\n
The statement come ahead of a planned UN Security Council meeting Sunday where diplomats will address the escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians,
\nThe violence marks some of the worst fighting in the region since Israel\u2019s 2014 war with Hamas, which rules Gaza.<\/p>\n
AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said in a statement following the building\u2019s collapse that the news outlet was \u201cshocked and horrified\u201d that the Israeli military would target the building.<\/p>\n
Al Jazeera also issued a statement condemning the bombing \u201cin the strongest possible terms,\u201d adding it viewed the attack as a \u201cclear act to stop journalists from conducting their sacred duty to inform the world and report events on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
US President Joe Biden in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu \u2014 his close ally \u2014 on Saturday \u201craised concerns\u201d about the safety of journalists following the day\u2019s attack, while he also \u201creaffirmed his strong support for Israel\u2019s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is \u201cdeeply disturbed\u201d by the Israeli airstrike Saturday that destroyed a 12-storey Gaza City building, his spokesman has said. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric\u2019s comments came in response to reporters\u2019 questions as Israel unleashed airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, killing […]<\/p>\n
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