“Such indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas risk a dangerous escalation and must stop,” Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

“The people of southern Israel and Gaza have suffered enough from such violence,” the statement added.

Last week, both the Secretary-General and the United Nations Security Council urged calm amid escalating tensions between Palestinians and Israelis around holy sites in Jerusalem, especially surrounding the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount compound.

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe (file)