On 18 November, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland told the Council that “The current conditions are among the worst we’ve seen during the entire war and are not set to improve." Outlining the escalating situation in the Middle East, he said that “after over a year of horrific war and bloodshed, the region is at a grim crossroads," going on to describe daily rocket fire from Lebanon towards northern and central Israel, as well as massive Israeli air strikes across Lebanon and an Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon, exchanges of missiles and strikes between Israel and Yemen, Iraq and Syria, and direct military confrontations between Iran and Israel. The “immeasurable” trauma and grief unleashed since Hamas’s terrorist attacks inside Israel on 7 October 2023 “will reverberate for generations and shape the region in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend”, he stressed, reiterating his concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, particularly in the north.
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