UN chief calls for enforcement of Gaza ceasefire

NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Warning that the humanitarian crisis Israel created in the territory had reached “horrific proportions,” he demanded full, safe and sustained access for deliveries of aid.

Speaking ahead of his departure to attend the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, co-hosted by the UN and Spain in Seville from June 30-July 3, Guterres said the situation in Gaza has now grown more dire than at any previous point in the long-running conflict.

“Bombs are falling — on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run,” he added. “People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence.”

He said the Israeli military operations launched in response to the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, attacks he “unequivocally condemned,” have displaced families repeatedly, confining the population of Gaza to less than one-fifth of its total area. Even these shrinking safe zones remain under threat, he noted.

Guterres acknowledged the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran as a sign of hope but insisted that political courage is now needed to secure a similar ceasefire in Gaza.

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Referencing the limited amount of humanitarian aid that has been allowed to enter the enclave, he said: “What’s needed now is a surge; the trickle must become an ocean.”

A small shipment of medical supplies from the UN crossed the border into Gaza this week. However, it was the first in months and Guterres stressed it was far from sufficient.

“Doctors are forced to choose who gets the last vial of medicine, or the last ventilator,” he said. “Aid workers themselves are starving. This cannot be normalized.”

Israel, as the occupying power, is obligated under the rules of international law to allow and facilitate humanitarian assistance, he added.

Guterres also dismissed alternative delivery plans for aid as “dangerous schemes,” arguing that the UN already has a detailed, functional plan built on neutrality, impartiality and the trust of affected communities and donors.

“It worked during the last ceasefire, it must be allowed to work again,” he said.

In a direct appeal to governments and other international actors, Guterres urged those in positions of power to fulfill their legal responsibilities, and those with influence that could help to use it.

He called on all UN member states to uphold the UN Charter, which was reaffirmed only a day earlier during the organization’s 80th anniversary commemorations.

“The solution to this problem is ultimately political,” he said. “The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-state solution. Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail.”

UN chief calls for enforcement of Gaza ceasefire