The United Nations has issued an urgent appeal for Israel and Gaza to “step back from the brink” of war, after the worse violence seen since the summer of 2014 erupted along the border.
Highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the deteriorating political and security situation in the region, he called for Palestinians to keep protests peaceful and for Israel to show restraint in its response.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The fighting is the result of a long build-up of tension across the border, dating back to a series of protests by Palestinians organised from the spring onwards by Hamas, the militant Islamist group that rules the Gaza strip.
More than 130 people have been killed since the violence broke out. 60 Palestinians, including eight children, lost their lives in a single day in May after protests against the US embassy move to Jerusalem turned violent.
Israel has repeatedly denied using excessive force against protesters, yet the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has made it clear he now regards arson attacks in the same way as rockets and mortars, meaning there could be no ceasefire with militants in Gaza if they kept launching incendiary kites and balloons over the fence.
In typically uncompromising rhetoric, Netanyahu said: “Whoever hurts us, we will hit them with great strength. This is what we did yesterday. I hope that they got the message; if not, they will get it later.”
However, an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreed on Saturday appeared, for now at least, to be holding.
Far-right members of the Israeli cabinet criticised the acceptance of Egypt’s ceasefire proposals “but the government is thought to want to concentrate its attentions on events at its other border, with Syria” says The Times, so “an assault in Gaza, and the inevitable civilian death toll in its crammed towns, would be sure to attract international opprobrium just as Israel is seeking backing for its tactics in Syria”.
-
Massacre in the favela: Rio’s police take on the gangsIn the Spotlight The ‘defence operation’ killed 132 suspected gang members, but could spark ‘more hatred and revenge’
-
The John Lewis ad: touching, or just weird?Talking Point This year’s festive offering is full of 1990s nostalgia – but are hedonistic raves really the spirit of Christmas?
-
Codeword: November 15, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Israel jolted by ‘shocking’ settler violenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT A wave of brazen attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank has prompted a rare public outcry from Israeli officials
-
Why these Iraqi elections are so importantThe Explainer The US and Israel are increasingly pressuring Baghdad to tackle Iran-backed militants, while weakened Iran sees Iraq as a vital remaining ally
-
Israel arrests ex-IDF legal chief over abuse video leakSpeed Read Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi had resigned from her post last week
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Gaza ceasefire teeters as Netanyahu orders strikesSpeed Read Israel accused Hamas of firing on Israeli troops
-
Gaza’s reconstruction: the steps to rebuildingIn The Spotlight Even the initial rubble clearing in Gaza is likely to be fraught with difficulty and very slow
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
‘Extraordinary asymmetry’: the history of Israeli prisoner swapsIn The Spotlight Exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees is the latest in a series of trades in which Israeli lives appear to count for more
