The UN Security Council members will convene on Sunday for emergency closed consultations on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question". The Council members will discuss the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza. 

Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is expected to brief. It is noteworthy that the meeting was initially requested in the private meeting format but was later changed to consultations after several members expressed a preference for the latter format. 

While both formats are closed to the public, consultations differ from a private meeting in that it is not a formal meeting of the Security Council.

 In addition, only Council members can participate in consultations, whereas member states whose interests are directly affected may be invited to participate in a private meeting in accordance with rule 37 and rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. The next regular meeting on this file is the quarterly open debate on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question" scheduled for 24 October.