MANILA - The State of Palestine's envoy to the Philippines emphasized the urgency for the international community to prioritize ending the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as civilian casualties continue to rise in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Palestinian Ambassador to the Philippines Saleh Mohammad made the remarks during a virtual press conference on Friday.
According to News Releases by Philippines News Agency, Ambassador Mohammad insisted that the world should focus on methods to 'end the cycle of violence' prevalent in the region. "We should be looking for how to end this cycle of violence, how to end this cycle of war. It's better to concentrate on that," he said. He also highlighted that tensions are escalating not only in the Israel-Hamas conflict but also across various fronts in the Middle East including south Lebanon, the Rafah border near Egypt, and the Jordanian front.
Tensions in the region are not limited to the Israel-Hamas conflict. In northern Israel, exchanges of fire have been reported between the Israeli army and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Moreover, pro-Palestinian protests have erupted across Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.
United Nations data indicates that since the conflict began with a surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, at least 1,300 people in Israel and 3,700 in Gaza have died. Israeli forces responded to the attack with heavy strikes targeting the group in Gaza.