Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday was "profoundly concerned" at the escalation of violence in Gaza among Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, and the growing number of casualties on both sides, his spokesperson Michele Montas told the daily press briefing. "The deadly factional fighting has included unacceptable attacks on Palestinian Authority installations, institutions and personnel, and endangers civilians throughout Gaza," she said."Equally unacceptable," she added, "is the firing by Palestinian militants of rockets into Israel, targeting and injuring civilians." She said Ban "calls on all Palestinian factions to cease immediately all acts of violence. He calls on President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and the Palestinian Authority government to bring violence to an end and restore calm." Ban underlined the obligations on all parties involved to act in "strict accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law", and to ensure that humanitarian operations can continue without impediment.
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