Gaza devastation, West Bank displacement raise spectre of ethnic cleansing: Guterres

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday denounced the devastation in Gaza and warned that Israel's expanding settlements and the displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were creating conditions for the "spectre of ethnic cleansing".

Opening the high-level session of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Guterres said the violence that followed the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, had exacted an unprecedented toll in Gaza.

He described the Israeli military campaign as involving a scale of death and destruction that he had not witnessed during his tenure as UN secretary-general.

The remarks came during what is expected to be Guterres' final address to the General Assembly as secretary-general. The general debate of the 81st session is scheduled to run from September 22 to September 28.

Turning to the occupied West Bank, Guterres said violence, displacement and settlement expansion were "bulldozing the path to peace and raising the spectre of ethnic cleansing".

He also warned against allowing the two-state solution to disappear, reiterating his position that a political settlement remains central to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Guterres had raised concerns about what he described as "creeping annexation" in the West Bank during a September 16 press conference ahead of the General Assembly.

The UN chief called for the Gaza peace plan to be fully implemented and for humanitarian assistance to reach civilians without obstruction.

His comments came as world leaders gathered in New York amid continuing diplomatic efforts over the Gaza conflict and the broader Israeli-Palestinian dispute. His warning over settlement expansion and displacement also echoed concerns he has repeatedly raised about the declining prospects for a negotiated two-state solution.