Guterres didn’t hold back on renouncing the horrific Hamas attacks, the unprecedented civilian casualties and catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza since Israel launched war on Hamas, the taking of and the fate of the hostages in Gaza and the tensions spilling over across the region.
He said the only solution is an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza.
The UN Secretary General also called for all accounts of sexual violence committed by Hamas and others on October 7 to be rigorously investigated and prosecuted.
He went on to add that the “onslaught on Gaza by Israeli forces over these 100 days has unleashed wholesale destruction and levels of civilian killings at a rate that is unprecedented during my years as Secretary-General”.
“Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
“The longer the conflict in Gaza continues, the greater the risk of escalation and miscalculation. We cannot see in Lebanon what we are seeing in Gaza. And we cannot allow what has been happening in Gaza to continue,” Guterres finished his speech by saying.
Israel has launched a deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack, killing at least 24,100 people and injuring 60,834 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.
The offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
