United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that Israel’s moves to militarily take control of Gaza City mark the beginning of a dangerous new phase in the conflict, with potentially devastating consequences for civilians.
“Hundreds of thousands of civilians -- already exhausted and traumatized -- would be forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril. This must stop,” he told reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting on Thursday.
Guterres demanded accountability for what he described as “unconscionable Israeli strikes”, including two recent attacks on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis that killed civilians, among them medical staff and journalists. The levels of death and destruction in Gaza are without parallel in recent times, he said.
The UN chief said famine in Gaza is no longer a looming threat but a present-day catastrophe, noting that people are already dying of hunger while food, water and healthcare systems have been systematically dismantled. “These are the facts on the ground. And they are the result of deliberate decisions that defy basic humanity,” he added.
He stressed that Israel must allow the delivery of food, water, medicine and other essentials, and facilitate much greater humanitarian access while protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, Xinhua news agency reported. Guterres highlighted that 366 UN personnel have been killed during the conflict, and that humanitarian operations are being obstructed. “This is unacceptable,” he said.
Turning to the West Bank, Guterres described the situation as profoundly alarming, pointing to military operations, settler violence, demolitions and discriminatory policies that are forcing displacement and increasing vulnerability. He warned that Israel’s recent approval of thousands of new settlement units in the E1 area near Ma’ale Adumim could split the West Bank in two, posing “an existential threat to the two-state solution.”
“The Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem have been established -- and are being maintained -- in violation of international law. Israel must cease such actions and comply with its obligations,” he said.
Reiterating that there is no military solution to the conflict, Guterres again called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, full humanitarian access across Gaza, and the unconditional release of all hostages. Starvation of the civilian population must never be used as a method of warfare. Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian access must be unimpeded, he said.
“No more excuses. No more obstacles. No more lies,” he pleaded.