UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General António Guterres has called for the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after 100 plus days war of escalating violence.
“Tamp down the flames of broader war because the longer the conflict in Gaza continues, the higher risk of escalation and miscalculation,” he warned in a statement issued on Monday evening.
He stated that “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” was necessity to ensure smooth supply of emergency aid and to facilitate the release of hostages.
Guterres said that the offensive in Gaza by Israeli forces over these 100 days “has caused full fledged destruction and scales of civilian killings at a score that is unprecedented during my years as Secretary General”.
He pointed out that “the high majority of those killed are women and children, adding that “nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.
No one is safe
Stressing the need to cease the hostilities, he said: “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond words. Nowhere and no one is safe.”
Guterres expressed serious frustrations about the daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line as well, cautioning of chance broader escalation affecting regional stability. “Stop playing with fire across the Blue Line, de-escalate, and ceases hostilities in accordance with (relevant) Security Council resolutions,” he said.
The Blue Line refers to the border demarcation between Israel and Lebanon, set-up by the United Nations in 2000 after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
Earlier this month, Israel carried out a drone strike across the Blue Line to kill Hamas’s deputy chief Saleh Al Arouri, causing regular clashes across the border.
The Secretary General reported that tens of thousands of people in northern Israel and southern Lebanon have been displaced by the fighting, and humanitarian access in Lebanon continues to worsen. “This risks triggering a broader escalation between Israel and Lebanon and profoundly affecting regional stability,” he warned.
Guterres also condemned the Oct 7 raids by Hamas, calling for the immediate and unconditional free of Israeli hostages and a thorough investigation into alleged sexual violence.
He underpinned the challenges faced by aid workers due to ongoing Israeli bombardment and restrictions at the Gaza border. “The United Nations and our partners cannot effectively deliver humanitarian aid while Gaza is under such heavy, widespread, and ruthless bombardment,” he said. “This endangers the lives of those who receive aid – and those who deliver it.”
Since Oct 7, 152 UN staff members have been killed in Gaza – the largest single loss of life in UN history.
