NEW YORK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the dire situation in the territory, which he described as “worsening by the day.”
Speaking to journalists in New York, Guterres emphasized the urgency of reaching a ceasefire agreement for the “sake of the people of Gaza, the hostages and their families in Israel, and the wider region.”
The UN chief expressed his concerns, stating that without an agreement, the war, with all its consequences both in Gaza and across the region, “will worsen exponentially.”
He highlighted the potential for further devastation in the Rafah area, where airstrikes have intensified. A military assault there “would be an unbearable escalation,” he warned, noting that it would result in thousands more civilian deaths and force hundreds of thousands to flee.
In his appeal, Guterres stressed the critical need for humanitarian aid, especially in northern Gaza, where a “preventable human-made famine” looms.
He urged the international community to do everything possible to “avert an entirely preventable human-made famine.”
He also reiterated the necessity for safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza, emphasizing, “There is no alternative to the massive use of land routes for aid delivery.”
Addressing the health crisis, Guterres pointed out that the war has “decimated” Gaza’s health system, with two-thirds of hospitals and health centers either out of commission or seriously damaged. “Some hospitals now resemble cemeteries,” he remarked, deeply alarmed by reports of mass graves at several locations, including Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals.
On the matter of accountability, Guterres called for independent international forensic investigations to clarify the circumstances surrounding the mass graves. “The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened, and the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have occurred,” he asserted.
