The UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called for an independent and transparent investigation into the death of at least 15 Palestinian protesters in Gaza during border rallies held on Friday in the besieged Gaza Strip.
A statement issued by a UN spokesman said the secretary-general is deeply concerned by the reports of the deadly clashes and appeals to those concerned to refrain from any act that could lead to further casualties particularly measures that could place civilians in harm’s way.
The UN Security Council on Friday failed to decide on taking any action or releasing a joint statement after an emergency meeting on Friday evening. Kuwait convened it hours after the bloodiest day in Gaza since Israel’s 2014 war.
15 people were killed and more than 750 wounded by Israeli gunfire as thousands of Palestinian protesters marched to Gaza’s border with Israel and clashed with soldiers on the Land Day.
During the Security Council session Taye-Brook Zerihoun the deputy UN political affairs chief warned that the situation might deteriorate in the coming days stressing that the UN would continue to stress that civilians should not be targeted and that all actors refrain from putting children at risk.
He also called on Israel to uphold its responsibilities under international law emphasizing that lethal force should only be used as a last resort with any resulting fatalities properly investigated by the authorities.
