UN Chief Deplores ‘Clear Violations’ of Intl. Humanitarian Law in Gaza
Israel has bombarded the besieged Gaza Strip relentlessly since October 7, when Hamas launched a retaliatory attack on southern Israel.
After the attack, Israel cut off supplies of water, food, fuel and electricity to the enclave’s 2.3 million residents, an act the UN has called a form of collective punishment. It also launched an assault on the territory, killing at least 5,791 people.
More than one million people have been displaced, as Israel ordered residents of northern Gaza to evacuate to the south, but Israeli air raids have continued throughout the territory.
Speaking before the 15-member UN Security Council on Tuesday, Guterres pleaded for civilians to be protected and warned that the fighting risked a wider conflagration in the region.
“It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to years of suffocating occupation,” Guterres said.
He also criticized Israel without naming it, saying “protecting civilians does not mean ordering more than one million people to evacuate to the south, where there is no shelter, no food, no water, no medicine and no fuel, and then continuing to bomb the south itself.”
The secretary-general’s comments drew ire from Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, who called the speech “shocking”.
Guterres further warned that UN fuel supplies in Gaza would run out in a matter of days, which would be another disaster.
"To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer, and facilitate the release of hostages, I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire," the UN chief said.
Source: Agencies
