United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that the prolonged conflict in Gaza “will increase the risks of escalation and miscalculation,” stressing that nothing can justify collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Guterres also called – during a press conference in New York – for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the war that has been ongoing in the Strip for more than 100 days.
He stressed that “the number of civilian deaths in Gaza over the course of 100 days is unprecedented in any conflict since I took office, and most of the dead are women and children.”
“We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those in need, to facilitate the release of hostages, and to extinguish the flames of a broader war,” he said.
He also expressed his concern about the expansion of the conflict into Lebanon or beyond, saying, “We cannot see in Lebanon what we see in Gaza, and we cannot allow what is happening in Gaza to continue.”
He continued, “The specter of famine looms over the residents of Gaza, with the risks of disease, malnutrition, and other health threats.”
It is noteworthy that the population of the Gaza Strip, numbering 2.2 million, more than 85% of whom have been displaced, according to the United Nations, is suffering from a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and most of them are on the brink of famine, according to international agencies, in light of an acute shortage of food, water, fuel and medicines, while humanitarian aid only enters. In very small quantities, despite the issuance of a UN resolution in this regard.
Since last October 7, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which left 24,100 people dead and about 60,832 injured, and caused the displacement of more than 85% of the Gaza Strip’s population, according to the United Nations.