Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), began a news briefing at the UN headquarters, addressing the dire situation in Gaza. Guterres described the situation as more than a humanitarian crisis; it is a crisis of humanity. He condemned Israel’s aerial bombardments and ground operations, which have been hitting civilian areas, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches, and UN facilities, including shelters. Guterres emphasised that no one is safe and called for the release of captives still held in Gaza.
The protection of civilians was emphasised as paramount, and Guterres expressed deep concern about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that are being witnessed. He reiterated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire, stating that no party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law.
While a limited amount of aid has crossed from Egypt into Gaza, Guterres highlighted that it falls far short of meeting the needs of the people in the Palestinian territory. Only a little over 400 trucks have entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing with Egypt in the past two weeks. Guterres stressed that the Rafah crossing does not have the capacity to process aid trucks on the scale required.
Guterres also called for fuel to be allowed into Gaza, as the lack of fuel puts newborn babies in incubators and patients on life support at risk of death.
The Secretary-General expressed deep concern about the alarming number of children being killed and injured in Gaza, stating that it is becoming a graveyard for children. He also mentioned that more journalists have reportedly been killed in the past four weeks than in any conflict in at least three decades. Additionally, the number of UN aid workers killed in this period is the highest in the history of the organization.
Guterres mourned the loss of 89 UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) colleagues who were killed in Gaza, including teachers, school principals, doctors, engineers, guards, support staff, and a young woman named Mai. Guterres highlighted Mai’s determination and talent as a top student and software developer who dedicated her skills to working on information technology for UNRWA.
