Gaza 'key' to ending violence in Middle East, says UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday warned of the escalating violence in the Middle East, saying "Gaza is key to ending it".

"War in Lebanon could lead to further escalation involving outside powers," Guterres said at a UN Security Council session on Palestine, which was called by Algeria.

Expressing support for a temporary cease-fire for aid delivery in Lebanon, the UN chief said: "We need this ceasefire now."

"We must avoid a regional war at all costs," Guterres said. "Gaza remains the epicenter of the violence."

Stating that devastation caused by relentless bombardments and hostilities continues, he said "Gaza is key to ending" the violence in the region.

Israel has pounded Lebanon since Monday morning, killing over 700 people and injuring nearly 2,200 others, according to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The ministry also said that the death toll in Lebanon since last October is 1,540, in addition to more than 77,000 displaced from southern and eastern parts of the country.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of turning the Gaza conflict into a regional war.