Add source Login
'Catalogue of horrors' - UN chief condemns Israel's actions in Palestine, warns against consequences of 'expanded' Gaza City military ops

'Catalogue of horrors' - UN chief condemns Israel's actions in Palestine, warns against consequences of 'expanded' Gaza City military ops

"United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank, highlighting the deadly consequences of expanded Israeli military operations in Gaza City. “Unbelievably, civilians are facing yet another deadly escalation,” Guterres said to reporters. “Expanded military operations in Gaza City will have devastating consequences. Hundreds of thousands of civilians, already exhausted and traumatised, would be forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril. This must stop,” he added. The UN chief condemned recent strikes on civilian infrastructure, including a recent double strike on Nasser Hospital, which killed medical personnel and journalists. “These attacks are part of an endless catalogue of horrors. There must be accountability,” Guterres demanded, noting that those who lost their lives had performed 'essential duties'. Guterres went on to warn that 'civilians must be protected', as he outlined the dire humanitarian situation across the Strip. “The levels of death and destruction in Gaza are without parallel in recent times. Feminine is no longer a looming possibility. It's a present-day catastrophe. People are dying from hunger. Families are being torn apart by displacement and despair. Pregnant women are facing unimaginable risks. The systems that sustain life – food, water, and health care – have been systematically dismantled.” He further noted that 366 UN personnel have been killed while trying to deliver aid, and that relief efforts are continuously blocked or delayed. The UN chief also addressed developments in the West Bank, warning that plans for thousands of settlements in West Bank violated international law, undermining the two-state solution. “Israel must cease such actions and comply with its obligations. There is no military solution to the conflict,” he concluded. The war in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,139 people and kidnapping more than 200 others, according to the Israeli side. Israel has conducted military operations across Gaza in response, with over 62,100 Palestinians killed and 157,100 others injured at the time of publication."