UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a strong appeal for an immediate end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. He also called for the safe return of hostages and a “surge” in need for increased humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.
“I repeat my call, the world’s call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and a significant increase in humanitarian aid,” Guterres said in a video address to an international donors’ conference in Kuwait.
“But it’s important to remember that a ceasefire will only be the start. The road to recovery from the devastation and trauma of this war will be long and challenging”, he added.
Israeli Strikes on Gaza
Today, Israeli strikes on Gaza persisted, even after it expanded an evacuation order for Rafah despite international criticism over its military incursion into eastern areas of the city, effectively shutting a key aid crossing.
Guterres Mentioned
Guterres expressed deep concern over the devastating impact of the war in Gaza. He emphasized that it is causing horrific human suffering, devastating lives, tearing families apart and rendering huge numbers of people homeless, hungry and traumatised.
Guterres’ remarks were shared during the opening of the conference in Kuwait, which was organised by the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) and the UN’s humanitarian coordination organisation OCHA.
On Friday, in Nairobi, the UN head warned Gaza faced an “epic humanitarian disaster” if Israel launched a full-scale ground operation in Rafah.
Gaza’s bloodiest-ever war started after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7th. This attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel launched a retaliatory offensive with the aim of destroying Hamas. According to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, that has killed more than 34,971 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.