A full-scale Israeli offensive in Rafah would spell “the death knell” for humanitarian aid programs in Gaza, where aid remains “totally inadequate” to a population in dire need, the UN chief warned on Monday.
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The large-scale offensive announced by Israeli authorities against the city in the territory's south “would not only be frightening for the more than a million Palestinian civilians seeking refuge there; it would also mean the death knell for our aid programs,” warned Antonio Guterres at the opening of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The Secretary General stressed on Monday that “nothing can justify Hamas's deliberate killing, wounding, torture and abduction of civilians, its use of sexual violence, or its indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel.” “And nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people “Mr Guterres added.
Amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the United Nations' main relief agency for the Palestinians (UNRWA) has called for action to prevent a major famine in Gaza.
Mr. Guterres, like humanitarian officials, stressed that “humanitarian assistance is still woefully inadequate.”
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“I reiterate my call for a humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” he stressed.
UNRWA is accused by Israel of “collusion” with Hamas and is the subject of a very violent campaign by the Israeli authorities and their allies.
The agency is the subject of an evaluation requested by Mr. Guterres, for which former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna is responsible.
The United Nations, like other NGOs, believes that there is no alternative to the crucial role played by UNRWA in providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Guterres' comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that his country would launch a full-scale offensive that must ensure Israel's “total victory” over the Islamist movement Hamas, whose unprecedented attack on October 7 sparked the war.
A possible ceasefire currently being discussed in Doha would only slightly delay the inevitable, the prime minister stressed.
The war, which has been ongoing for more than four months, erupted after the Hamas attack in Israel that killed about 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to an official AFP count.
Israel said Hamas militants also took about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, 130 of whom are still detained in Gaza, including 31 suspected dead. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, the military response in Gaza has killed nearly 30,000 people, mostly women and children.
Mr Guterres complained that despite his urgent appeals to the UN Security Council to take all necessary measures to “stop the bloodshed in Gaza and prevent escalation”, it had failed to act.
As one of five permanent members of the 15-member council, the United States – Israel's main ally – has veto power, which it has used to block any calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Mr. Guterres warned of the consequences of the Security Council's inaction on Gaza, such as its failure to act on the war in Ukraine due to Russia's veto.
This inaction “has seriously – perhaps fatally – undermined his authority,” he warned.
“The Council needs serious reform of its composition and working methods.”