UN holds open debate on Middle East crisis

Nikolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process gave a briefing that covered the situations in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza. The briefing was largely focused on the unfolding crisis along the Gaza fence. Mladenov warned that Gaza was about to explode and the outbreak of another war was likely.

For the last 4 weeks, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have converged on the fence to protest the long-standing blockade of the enclave. During these demonstrations, 35 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces. Israel accused Hamas militants of using women, children and the elderly as cover to infiltrate Israel and commit terrorist attacks.