United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday that the Palestinian people are living through “one of the darkest chapters of their history” and are “shocked” by “the death and destruction” in the region, where they are mired in a conflict the attacks by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) against Israel on October 7th. Thus, in a message on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Guterres stressed that the region is “overwhelmed with pain, fear and regret,” while emphasizing that “the Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe.” This results in Israeli military offensive following the above-mentioned attacks by the Palestinian Islamist group. “Nearly 1.7 million people have been forced from their homes, but there is nowhere safe. Meanwhile, there is a risk of a boilover in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” said Guterres, expressing concern. “Sincerely.” Condolences” to the “thousands of families mourning the loss of their loved ones.” “This includes the members of the UN family killed in Gaza, which represents the largest loss of personnel in the history of our organization,” he emphasized. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has confirmed the deaths of more than a hundred of its staff due to Israeli attacks on the enclave. In this way, the UN Secretary General recalled that he “clearly” condemned the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, although he stressed that he was also “clear” that these attacks “cannot be collective Justify punishment of the Palestinian people.” Guterres praised the work of UNRWA, which provides “important support to millions of Palestinian refugees” in the region, and stated that “it is more important than ever for the international community to use UNRWA as a source of support for “This is, above all, a day to reaffirm international solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to live in peace and dignity,” he emphasized. For this reason, it reiterated its call for “a permanent humanitarian ceasefire, full humanitarian access, the release of all hostages, the protection of civilians and an end to violations of international law.” “We must be united in calling for an end to the occupation and blockade of the Gaza Strip,” he stressed. “It is time to work decisively and irreversibly towards a two-state solution, based on United Nations resolutions and international law, in which Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace and security, with Jerusalem the capital of both states is,” he defended. Finally, Guterres noted that the United Nations “will not weaken in its commitment to the Palestinian people.” “Today and every day, let us stand in solidarity with the aspirations of the Palestinian people to achieve their inalienable rights and build a future of peace, justice, security and dignity for all,” he added. The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has been celebrated on November 29 every year since 1977 and commemorates the day on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, which called for the creation of a “Jewish state” and an “Arab state “ provided “in the territories of Palestine, with Jerusalem as a separate part subject to a special international regime. Israel launched an offensive against the Palestinian enclave following Hamas attacks on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped nearly 240. Gaza authorities controlled by the Islamist group put the death toll at nearly 15,000 Palestinians, adding another 230 at the hands of the Israeli army and attacks by settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
