NEW YORK: Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said that the Israeli onslaught on Gaza for over 100 days has unleashed wholesale destruction and levels of civilian killings at a rate that is unprecedented during his years as Secretary-General. ‘We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,’ he stressed.

During a press conference in New York, the UN Secretary-General said that: ‘Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,’ stressing that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond words. ‘Nowhere and no one is safe. ‘

The UN official expressed deep trouble by ‘the clear violation of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing.’

‘The long shadow of starvation is stalking the people of Gaza, along with disease, malnutrition and other health threats,’ he warned.

Regarding aid delivery into Gaza, he stressed that while there have been some steps to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance, life-saving relief is not getting to people who have endu
red months of relentless assault at anywhere near the scale needed.

He affirmed that an effective aid operation in Gaza or anywhere else requires certain basics, such as security; an environment where staff can work in safety and the necessary logistics and the resumption of commercial activity.

The obstacles to aid are clear, he stressed. ‘And they have been identified not only by the UN but by officials from around the globe who have seen the situation for themselves.’

He reiterated the call for rapid, safe, unhindered, expanded and sustained humanitarian access into and across Gaza.

‘We cannot allow what has been happening in Gaza to continue,’ he stressed.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA