TEL AVIV: The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged Israel to exercise maximum restraint in its military operation in the Gaza strip.
In his address at a joint news conference with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, the UN chief said that military action will not increase Israeli security in the longer term.
Ban said that the international community is making a concerted effort to reach a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. He further said that Israelis and Palestinians cannot ignore the fundamental truth that both Israelis and Palestinians will be forced to live alongside one another.
More than 630 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,700 others injured so far by the Israeli regime since July 8 despite pressure from the international community.
