United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sent an unprecedented message to the Security Council regarding the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, warning of its dangers on a global level. He also warned that public order in the Strip was about to collapse completely.
Guterres said in his message on Wednesday that the war in Gaza “may exacerbate existing threats to international peace and security.”
The Secretary-General relied on the rarely used Article 99 of the Founding Charter of the United Nations, which authorizes him to “draw the attention of the Security Council to any matter that he considers may threaten the protection of international peace and security.”
This is the first time that Guterres has used this substance since he took office in 2017. He said, “We face a grave danger of the collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is rapidly deteriorating toward a catastrophe that may have irreversible consequences for the Palestinians and for peace and security in the region.”
Guterres explained – in the message he addressed to the 15 member states of the Council – that “with the continuous bombing by Israeli forces, and with the absence of shelters or a minimum level of survival, I expect an imminent complete collapse of public order, due to desperate conditions, which makes it difficult to provide humanitarian assistance.” Impossible, even if limited.
He added, “The situation may become worse with the spread of epidemics and increased pressure for mass movements towards neighboring countries.”
The Israeli army is waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving 16,248 martyrs, including 7,112 children and 4,885 women, in addition to 43,616 wounded.
Since the beginning of the war, the Security Council has failed to adopt 4 draft resolutions to alleviate the suffering in Gaza, and then in mid-November it adopted a resolution calling for “truces and corridors for humanitarian aid.”
Guterres said in his message that the humanitarian aid passing through the Rafah crossing is insufficient, and he also indicated that the United Nations is unable to reach those who need aid inside Gaza.
“The capabilities of the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have been undermined by supply shortages, fuel shortages, communications outages, and increasing insecurity,” he added.