NEW YORK / PNN /
Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres said: “The nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis. It is a crisis of humanity.”
Guterres highlighted how “the unfolding catastrophe in Gaza makes the need for a humanitarian ceasefire more urgent with every passing hour,” stressing that the protection of civilians is paramount.
He stressed that Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children, stating that hundreds of girls and boys are being killed and injured every day as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression.
More journalists have been killed over a four-week period than in any conflict in at least three decades. More United Nations aid workers have been killed than in any comparable period in the history of our organization, he noted.
He said that ground operations by Israel and its continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches, and UN facilities, including shelters, in the Gaza Strip. “No one is safe.”
“I am deeply concerned about clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing. Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law.”
He stressed that the humanitarian appeal – launched by the UN and partners - will assist the entire population in the Gaza Strip and half a million Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Guterres said that although some aid is getting into Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt, this “trickle of assistance does not meet the ocean of need.”
He noted that the aid deliveries have not included desperately needed fuel. “Without fuel, newborn babies in incubators and patients on life support will die,” he warned. “Water cannot be pumped or purified. Raw sewage could soon start gushing onto the streets, further spreading disease. Trucks loaded with critical relief will be stranded.
“Just over 400 trucks have crossed into Gaza over the past two weeks – compared with 500 a day before the conflict. And crucially, this does not include fuel.”
The Secretary-General said the way forward is clear, repeating his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for all parties to respect international humanitarian law.
He reiterated his appeals for the protection of civilians, hospitals, UN facilities, shelters, and schools.
He urged for more food, water, medicine, and fuel to enter Gaza safely, swiftly, and at the scale needed. “Unfettered access to deliver supplies to all people in need in Gaza. Now,”
“I think of civilians in Gaza – the vast majority women and children -- terrified by the relentless [Israeli] bombardment,” he said.
The Secretary-General also joined the UN family in mourning 89 staff from its agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, who have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
Many of these colleagues – who include teachers, school principals, doctors, engineers, guards, and support staff - were killed along with their family members, said the statement.
“Among them was a young woman called Mai, who “did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams”, becoming a top student and eventually working in information technology for UNRWA,” cited the statement.
In concluding his remarks, Guterres appealed for international action now towards “a way out of this brutal, awful, agonizing dead end of destruction”, including to help pave the way to peace and a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
