By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Guterres said ‘it is past time’ for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ‘an end to the unlawful occupation’ of the Palestinian territories.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, reaffirmed on Friday, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, that the UN will continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their “inalienable rights to live in peace, security, and dignity.”

“Every year on this day, the international community stands in solidarity for the dignity, rights, justice, and self-determination of the Palestinian people. This year’s commemoration is especially painful as those fundamental goals are as distant as they have ever been,” Guterres said in a statement marking the occasion.

While condemning the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood Operation by the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, the secretary-general also criticized Israel for its “collective punishment” of the Palestinian people and the devastating consequences of the over one-year war.

“Yet, more than a year later, Gaza is in ruins, more than 43,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been reportedly killed, and the humanitarian crisis is getting worse by the day,” Guterres said. “This is appalling and inexcusable,” he added.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres' Message on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People@antonioguterres pic.twitter.com/bEj3aVjrMk

— UN Jordan 🇯🇴 (@UnitedNationsJO) November 29, 2024

Guterres further highlighted the worsening situation in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. 

He pointed to “Israeli military operations, settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions, settler violence, and threats of annexation,” stating that these actions are “inflicting further pain and injustice.”

The UN chief emphasized that “it is past time” for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as the unconditional release of all captives, and “an end to the unlawful occupation” of the Palestinian territories. 

This position, he noted, is “confirmed by the International Court of Justice and the General Assembly.”

He reiterated the UN’s support for a two-state solution in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions. This vision, he explained, envisions “Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, and Jerusalem as the capital of both States.”

Additionally, Guterres urged for increased humanitarian support to the Palestinian people, particularly through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). 

“As a matter of urgency, I appeal for full support of lifesaving humanitarian relief for the Palestinian people – in particular through the work of UNRWA, which represents an irreplaceable lifeline for millions of Palestinians,” he concluded.

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has been observed every November 29 since 1978 to commemorate the UN’s General Assembly resolution partitioning Palestine on November 29, 1947.

On Friday’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, @antonioguterres calls for full support of life-saving humanitarian aid for Palestinians, an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.https://t.co/GdleyPSeCO pic.twitter.com/iT77vnzAUJ

— United Nations (@UN) November 29, 2024

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza. 

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,330 Palestinians have been killed, and 104,933 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’. 

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

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The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children. 

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.  

(The Palestine Chronicle)