As Muslims began the holy month of Ramadan, the United Nations Secretary-General reiterated on Monday his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and urged actions to avoid further “preventable” deaths.
“Yet even though Ramadan has begun – the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza,” Guterres said at a press conference.
“My strongest appeal today is to honor the spirit of Ramadan by silencing the guns – and removing all obstacles to ensure the delivery of lifesaving aid at the speed and massive scale required,” Guterres said.
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He also called for an “immediate release of all hostages”, in reference to the Israeli prisoners currently held in Gaza by the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas.
“We must act to avoid more preventable deaths,” he said.
Guterres said that in Gaza, “the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue,” “We have witnessed month after month of civilian killing and destruction at a level that is unprecedented in all my years as Secretary-General,” he added.
On life-saving aid, the UN chief said it is “coming in trickles – if it comes at all,” and asserted that “international humanitarian law lies in tatters.”
He further warned of the dire consequences of a potential Israeli assault on Rafah, cautioning that such an action could further exacerbate the suffering of the people in Gaza.
An attack on Rafah “could plummet the people of Gaza into an even deeper circle of hell,” he said.
Guterres is at the center of diplomatic tension with Israel, and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has recently recalled his country’s ambassador to the United Nations.
‘Bloodshed Continues’
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, 31,112 Palestinians have been killed, and 72,760 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and 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.
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.’
(PC, Anadolu)
