United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated that the Israeli attack on Gaza over the past 100 days has caused a level of destruction and civilian deaths unprecedented in his years as head of the international organization.
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“We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” emphasized Güterres. “Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” referring to the unspeakable humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“No place and no one is safe” and thus “expresses the clear violation of international humanitarian law that we are experiencing.”
We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
So that enough help reaches where it is needed.
To make sharing the hosts easier.
To contain the flames of a larger war. pic.twitter.com/RgVCwrHsEH
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres)
January 16, 2024
The diplomat expressed deep concern about the delivery of aid to those most affected by the war, because although steps have been taken to increase the humanitarian flow, vital aid is not reaching even the necessary level to the people who have endured months of continuous attacks Extent.
The Portuguese considered that a truly effective relief operation in Gaza requires some basic elements such as security, a protected environment so that personnel can work smoothly and constant and necessary logistics resulting from the resumption of commercial activity.
This is why the IDF kills any journalist who flies a drone over Gaza. They don't want the world to witness the sheer scale of the genocide… ������@Resist_05
pic.twitter.com/6DU5BligAp—Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis)
January 16, 2024
He warned that “the long shadow of hunger haunts the people of Gaza, along with disease, malnutrition and other health threats.” “We cannot allow what is happening in Gaza to continue,” he stressed.
He therefore reiterated the call for rapid, safe, unhindered, expanded and sustained humanitarian access to and through Gaza.
Guterres warns of tensions in the Red Sea and the Middle East
On the other hand, the situation in the Middle East is a cause for concern for Guterres, who warned that there will be conflicts that will be “impossible to contain.”
“Tensions are running high in the Red Sea and beyond,” he said on Monday, January 15, citing exchanges of fire along the Blue Line, as the border between Israel and Lebanon is known affects regional stability.
In the Red Sea area, the situation worsened with attacks on American ships by the Houthi rebels, who control much of Yemen's territory.
Conflict with Lebanon
Guterres also called for “stop playing with fire beyond the Blue Line” and said cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could “extinguish the flames of a larger war.”
“We cannot see in Lebanon what we see in Gaza, and we cannot allow what is happening in Gaza to continue,” he said.