NEW YORK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres declared on Friday that what is unfolding in the Gaza Strip is not merely a humanitarian catastrophe, but a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience, emphasizing that “words do not feed hungry children.”
In a powerful video address to the World Assembly of Amnesty International in Prague, Guterres condemned the devastating toll of the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7, 2023, stressing that “nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction” witnessed in the territory.
He reiterated his condemnation of the Hamas-led attacks on that date but warned against the inhuman scale of the Israeli response.
“The scale and scope of these events are beyond anything we have seen in recent times,” Guterres said, adding, “I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we are seeing from many in the international community, the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity.”
The UN chief described the harrowing condition of UN personnel in Gaza, many of whom are themselves starving, emotionally shattered, and physically drained. “They say they feel neither dead nor alive,” he said.
He also relayed heartbreaking accounts from Gaza’s children, “Children talk about wanting to go to heaven, because at least there, they say, they will find food.”
Since May 27, the United Nations has recorded the killing of over 1,000 Palestinians while attempting to obtain food, Guterres reported. “They were not killed in combat, but in desperation, while the entire population is starving,” he emphasized.
Reiterating the urgency of the crisis, Guterres called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all detainees, immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access, and concrete and irreversible steps toward a two-state solution
He stressed that the UN is prepared to scale up humanitarian efforts significantly in the event of a ceasefire, as it had done during previous pauses in fighting.
Guterres concluded with a stark reminder to the world, stressing that “The United Nations will raise its voice at every opportunity, but words alone do not feed hungry children.”
