Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on thursday that it is more urgent than ever to avoid another Israeli-Palestinian war that could spill into the Mideast and called on both sides to agree to a cease-fire.
The UN chief said the threat of an Israeli ground offensive and “an all-out escalation” is preventable only if Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, stops firing rockets and mortars into Israel. “Now is not a time for further incitement or vengeance,” Ban said.