He said that for four years, the UN has urged concerted action to address these causes but little has been achieved. "The underlying dynamics have not improved. The humanitarian crisis has deepened, political stalemate between Hamas and Fatah has worsened, and the prospect of another deadly round of violence is growing by the day."

The UN envoy said he has been in engagement with Israel and the Palestinians as well as regional and international partners to reduce tensions, to address humanitarian challenges and to support the Egyptian-led intra-Palestinian reconciliation process.

After Friday's fierce fighting, Hamas announced it had reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel as a result of efforts led by Egypt and the UN.

In the meantime, Mladenov addressed the crippled infrastructure and dire living conditions in Gaza. He urged advancing infrastructure projects to improve water, electricity and health systems, creating employment, and improving Gaza people's cross-border movement as means to de-escalate the situation.

"To this end, the UN is enhancing its presence on the ground to work with donors and international partners to facilitate the smooth implementation of these projects," he said.

Particularly, the UN envoy mentioned a week before, UNDP announced the implementation of some economic initiatives that will create more than 2,500 immediate and short-term job opportunities in Gaza.

However, Mladenov reiterated there is no point in asking donors to continue funding initiatives without a political horizon for the future, warning against a "futile exercise in conflict management and recurring humanitarian support."

In closing, Mladenov reaffirmed the goal of reaching a broader Israeli-Palestinian peace on the basis of two-state solution, in which Gaza is an integral part of future Palestinian state.