UN Chief Urges Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza; Highlights Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a strong call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stating that the temporary truce in the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran offers a rare opportunity to pursue peace.

Guterres spoke at the UN headquarters in New York, urging the world not to overlook Palestinians’ suffering amid shifting focus.

Calling Gaza’s situation the worst in decades, Guterres warned the humanitarian crisis has reached proportions too horrific to ignore.

After Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023, Israeli operations displaced over a million Gazans into threatened, shrinking areas of land.

“Bombs are striking tents, families, and people with nowhere left to run,” he said, adding that Israeli attacks are killing civilians as they attempt to access basic necessities like food and water.

“Doctors must make impossible choices—deciding who gets the last vial of medicine or the only remaining ventilator,” he added.

Aid blockade & urgent need for action

Guterres criticised the continued blockade on critical humanitarian supplies such as fuel and building materials.

While a small batch of UN aid recently entered Gaza—the first in months—he warned that a mere trickle of supplies is insufficient to meet the scale of the crisis.

“What’s needed now is a surge,” he said. “That trickle must become an ocean.”

He also condemned aid operations that push civilians into militarised zones, calling such strategies ‘inherently unsafe’ and deadly.

Guterres asserted that the United Nations has a clear, effective strategy grounded in humanitarian principles and previous success.

“We have developed the plan, gathered the supplies, earned the trust of local communities, and built the necessary experience,” he urged. “We made it work during the last ceasefire—and we must be allowed to make it work again.”

A call for global responsibility

He appealed to those in power to enable UN humanitarian operations and to member states to uphold their commitment to the UN Charter.

“We need the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and full, safe, and sustained humanitarian access,” Guterres said.

In conclusion, Guterres emphasised that only a political solution—specifically a two-state solution—can restore lasting peace and dignity.

“Diplomacy and human dignity must prevail. This is the only sustainable path forward,” he said.

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