The United Nations emphasized on Monday the urgent need for a "ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza to prevent a wider regional conflict that could have global repercussions."
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stated that "a ceasefire supported by a meaningful peace process is the only way to break the cycle of violence, hatred and suffering."
"You may have seen the images and heard the numbers: hundreds of thousands of displaced people within Lebanon are seeking a break from Israeli airstrikes," he said at the opening of the annual meeting of the UNHCR Executive Committee, noting that "once again, distinguishing between civilians and fighters has become nearly meaningless.”
Grandi condemned the attacks affecting aid workers, pointing out that two UNHCR employees were killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon last month, and 226 UNRWA staff members were killed in Gaza over the past year.
He stressed, "We cannot accept humanitarian workers' lives being seen as mere collateral damage or, worse, portraying them as guilty or complicit."
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