Antonio Guterres to visit Palestine and Israel for the first time since becoming UN chief

The UN Secretary General will be visiting Palestine and Israel later this month diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

This will be Antonio Guterres' first visit since becoming Secretary General. He is expected to hold talks with parties on both sides of the conflict during the three day visit.

The UN chief will first hold talks with Israeli leaders, then travel to Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and to the Gaza Strip during the three-day visit beginning on August 28.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the visit will allow Guterres to "build a relationship" with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He will also hold meetings with the controversial Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman who has recently called for the mass expulsion of all Palestinians living inside Israel.

"We are very happy about this visit," Danon told AFP.

"It's a great opportunity for the Secretary General to experience Israel, to meet the leaders of Israel and to understand the challenges that Israel faces day-in and day-out."

Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour described the upcoming visit as "very important," indicating that it signalled a stronger UN focus on the Palestinian plight.

Last month, the UN confirmed that Gaza is deteriorating "further and faster" than an earlier prediction made five years ago that said the enclave would become "unliveable" by 2020.

In attempt to isolate Hamas after seizing power in Gaza, Israel moved to restrict the flow of goods and people in and out of Gaza, limiting access to the sea and working with Egypt to enforce a blockade.

At the same time, Hamas has been in near-constant dispute with the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, prompting the PA to limit financial transfers to Gaza and, in recent weeks, asking Israel to cut back electricity supplies.

Gaza has also endured three military offensives in the past eight years which destroyed Gaza's infrastructure while killing and injuring thousands of Palestinians.

But US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley absolved Israel of responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling instead for the Security Council to blacklist Hamas.