UN warns Gaza violence could turn catastrophic

Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that a "fragile calm" had returned to the region but that the situation remained "extremely tense" following reports that Hamas had agreed to a truce. 

"I am concerned that we may once again be facing another very dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza with potentially catastrophic consequences," Mladenov told a council meeting on the Middle East.

"The last two days have shown how precipitously close we came to the brink of war once again."

Israel kept up airstrikes on Gaza into Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite the ceasefire claim.

The United Nations is working with Egypt to ensure a the truce takes hold to avoid the outbreak of a fourth war in the Palestinian enclave. 

Mladenov urged the council to condemn the "continued indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas towards Israel" and also to call on all sides to show restraint.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier told a US pro-Israel lobby group that he was ready to order further action in Gaza and "do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state."

"A new conflict will be devastating for the Palestinian people. It will have consequences for Israelis, who live in the vicinity of the Gaza perimeter, and it is likely to have regional repercussions," Mladenov warned.

The envoy also reported that Israel's settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem had continued despite a 2016 resolution demanding an end to the building of the Jewish outposts.

More than 3,000 units have been approved or tendered in the occupied West Bank - the largest batch of new settlements since May 2018, said Mladenov.

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