The United Nations Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wensland, stressed that it is not possible to reach a long-term solution to Gaza unless it is primarily a political solution.

He said in a briefing he gave to a meeting held by the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, that “the new Palestinian government, which includes 8 ministers from Gaza, represents an important opportunity to support concrete steps on the path of unifying Gaza and the occupied West Bank, politically, economically and administratively.”

He stressed the need for the international community to provide support to the new government to address the financial challenges it faces, enhance its ability to govern, and prepare it to reassume its responsibilities in Gaza, and ultimately assume governance in the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory. He said that the Palestinian Authority must be an integral part of Gaza's recovery and reconstruction.

Wensland concluded his speech by saying that the destruction and misery over the past seven months confirms the simple fact that Palestinians and Israelis can no longer wait before finding a political horizon to end the conflict and achieve a two-state solution.

Via video conference call from Jerusalem, Wensland added: “I am deeply concerned because the failure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, and the launch of a large-scale military operation in Rafah, exacerbate the risks of escalating regional tensions.”