By United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has urgently appealed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting significant violations of international law in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.
The crisis ignited on October 7th when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, resulting in a significant loss of life, as reported by Israeli authorities, with at least 1,400 casualties.
In response to this attack, Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza, cutting off vital supplies of water, food, fuel, and electricity to the 2.3 million residents in the enclave.
The United Nations strongly condemned this measure as a form of collective punishment. Additionally, Israel launched a military offensive in the region, resulting in a reported 5,791 casualties, as per Gaza authorities, who are under the governance of Hamas.
Tragically, over a million people have been forced to evacuate, following Israel’s orders for residents in northern Gaza to relocate to the south. However, Israeli airstrikes have relentlessly continued throughout the territory.
Addressing the 15-member UN Security Council, Guterres passionately pleaded for the protection of civilians and warned of the potential for the conflict to escalate further in the region.
Guterres stated, “It is important to also acknowledge that the attacks by Hamas did not occur in isolation. The Palestinian people have endured 56 years of oppressive occupation.”
He continued, “However, the grievances of the Palestinian people should not justify the heinous attacks by Hamas. Nor should these appalling attacks justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian population.”
While not explicitly naming Israel, Guterres also criticized actions that endangered civilian lives, stating, “Protecting civilians does not equate to ordering more than a million people to relocate to the south, where there is no shelter, food, water, medicine, or fuel, and then proceeding to bomb the south itself.”
These remarks sparked strong criticism from Israel’s UN Ambassador, Gilad Erdan, who characterized Guterres’s speech as “shocking.”
Erdan posted on social media, “His statement that ‘the attacks by Hamas did not occur in a vacuum’ shows an understanding of terrorism and murder. It’s truly disheartening that the leader of an organization that emerged in the aftermath of the Holocaust holds such troubling views.”
In his speech, Guterres described the Hamas attack as “horrifying and unprecedented” and called for the release of approximately 200 individuals held captive by the group.
Before this, several United Nations agencies issued an urgent plea, stressing the need for unimpeded delivery of emergency aid to Gaza, underlining that the current levels of aid were far from adequate.
Although a limited amount of humanitarian aid had entered Gaza from the Egyptian side since Saturday, Guterres described this assistance as “a drop of aid in an ocean of need.”
This urgent call from the United Nations highlights the pressing need for peace and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip as the conflict continues to take a devastating toll on the region. The international community watches with bated breath, hoping for a swift resolution to this ongoing crisis.
