A top UN official has warned that expanding Israeli military operations inside Gaza would risk “catastrophic consequences,” AFP reports.

A widening of the conflict “would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza,” Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, told a Security Council meeting.

“There is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza or the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Jenca said.

Jenca called during the meeting for “all hostages held in Gaza to be immediately and unconditionally released,” while also highlighting the insufficient amount of aid that is currently entering Gaza.