UN to Convene Urgent Session on Israeli-Palestinian Fighting

The U.N. General Assembly will convene an urgent session Thursday requested by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the group of Arab countries at the United Nations to deliberate on the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Here's the @DeptofDefense readout from earlier Wednesday on the @SecDef-#Israel DefMin callhttps://t.co/YuPmU1hDz5

About a dozen foreign ministers are flying in for the meeting – the first time such a high- level in-person meeting has been held at U.N. headquarters in New York since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than 14 months ago. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has called for an immediate halt to the hostilities, will also address the special session. There was more cross-border firing early Thursday, including Israeli airstrikes that hit Gaza City and the towns of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas traveled to the region Thursday to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials. He called the visit “a sign of solidarity with the people on both sides who fear for their lives day and night as Israel must defend itself against Hamas' rocket terror.”