UPDATE - UN chief 'appalled' by escalation of military activity in Rafah

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By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-Guterres Antonio Guterres on Tuesday voiced concern over the rising tension in Rafah after a UN staff member was killed in the Gaza Strip.

"The Secretary-General is appalled by the escalation of military activity in and around Rafah by the Israeli Defense Forces.

"These developments are further impeding humanitarian access and worsening an already dire situation. At the same time, Hamas goes on firing rockets indiscriminately," Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The statement came a day after a UN staffer from the UN Department of Safety and Security was killed and another injured when their vehicle came under fire while traveling to the European Hospital in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Civilians must be respected and protected at all times, in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza, Dujarric said.

"For people in Gaza, nowhere is safe now," he added.

Guterres reiterated his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and the release of all hostages, he said, adding: "He calls for the Rafah crossing to be re-opened immediately and we must have unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza."

Separately, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN chief told reporters that the UN has established a fact-finding panel.

"It's very early in the investigation and details of this incident are still being verified" with the Israeli military, Haq said.

"What we know so far indicates that a weapon appears to have impacted the back of a white UN vehicle carrying two UN staff members," he said, adding that the UN staffer killed in the attack was from India, while the wounded one is from Jordan.

Haq confirmed it was the "first international casualty" for the UN since the Israel onslaught began on Oct. 7.