Switzerland calls for de-escalation in latest Gaza violence
Rockets being fired from the Gaza strip this week.
Keystone / Mohammed Saber
The foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the fighting in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel was “alarming”, and called for the respect of international humanitarian law.
“Switzerland condemns the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip since yesterday,” the foreign ministry wrote in a statementExternal link posted on Twitter on Wednesday.
It also condemned the “indiscriminate firing” of rockets into Israel from the Gaza strip, and said the flare-up had worsened an already “volatile situation”.
Militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired more than 200 rockets into Israeli territory on Wednesday, according to the Israeli military. Israel’s air force had previously attacked more than 100 targets in the Gaza Strip, and reportedly killed three senior members of the Islamic Jihad group on Tuesday night.
In total 20 Palestinians, including at least five women and five children, have been killed since Israel launched pre-dawn strikes on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said on Wednesday.
The 15-member UN Security Council – which is being chaired by Switzerland this month – met behind closed doors on Wednesday over the latest violence.
Switzerland said it was in contact with both sides involved, and that it had appealed to them “to exercise maximum restraint and to work actively to restore calm”.
Egypt is working to mediate an end to the fighting.
Pro-Palestine uni protests to be debated in Swiss parliament
This content was published on
The Swiss People’s Party says it will launch two postulates calling for clarifications about the recent student protests and occupations.
This content was published on
A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
This content was published on
As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
This content was published on
The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
This content was published on
Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
This content was published on
With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.