UN chief condemns ‘collective punishment’ of Palestinians

Beijing: Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General has urged for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Israel-Gaza war.

Guterres, who spoke in Beijing just hours after Israel bombed the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, said that Hamas “attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

During a forum commemorating the tenth anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the UN Secretary-General reiterated "two urgent humanitarian appeals."

He called on Hamas to “[immediately] and [unconditionally] release” those it is holding captive and Israel “to immediately allow unrestricted access of humanitarian aid” to Gaza. To fulfil both of these appeals, Guterres said, a humanitarian ceasefire was required, Al Jazeera reported.

“Too many lives and the fate of the entire region hang in the balance,” he said.

Prior to his speech, Guterres issued a statement strongly denouncing the attack on a Gaza hospital, using some of the strongest language he has yet to use in reference to the violence that has occurred throughout the previous week.

Human rights organisations and world leaders have strongly denounced the attack, with Palestinian health authorities claiming that at least 500 people died in it. Israel refuses to take responsibility.

At least 20 heads of state and government are among the representatives from more than 130 countries, the majority of which are developing nations, who are in attendance at the meeting in China.

Speaking on the conference's theme, which was China's expanding programme of lending money and financing to poor nations so they could construct infrastructure, Guterres said that many of these nations were "drowning in debt" and urged the creation of "effective debt relief mechanisms."

Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China both spoke during the forum's opening ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.