The United Nations chief is again demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and a halt to the “spiral of escalation” already taking place from the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria to Iraq and Yemen.
Quick Read
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.
- Guterres emphasizes that international humanitarian law is being violated, which requires the protection of civilians and vital infrastructure.
- He asserts that the current military actions by the Israel Defense Forces are harming civilians and civilian structures, and accuses Hamas and other militants of using civilians as human shields and indiscriminately firing rockets into Israel.
- The Secretary-General is advocating for the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas, the prompt delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the cessation of using civilians as shields.
- He states that these requests are independent and should not be conditional upon one another, with the release of hostages being a critical step towards addressing other issues.
- Guterres has initiated a humanitarian appeal for $1.2 billion to assist the populations of Gaza and the West Bank, totaling 2.7 million people in need.
The Associated Press has the story:
UN Chief calls for cease-fire in Gaza, warns of regional escalation
Newslooks- UNITED NATIONS (AP)
The United Nations chief is again demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and a halt to the “spiral of escalation” already taking place from the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria to Iraq and Yemen.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Monday that international humanitarian law, which demands protection of civilians and infrastructure essential for their lives, is clearly being violated and stressed that “no party to an armed conflict is above” these laws.
“Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and U.N. facilities – including shelters. No one is safe,” Guterres said. “At the same time, Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israel.”
The secretary-general called again for the immediate unconditional release of the hostages taken by Hamas from Israel to Gaza, the speedy delivery of more food, water, fuel and medicine to the territory, and the end of the use of civilians as human shields. He stressed that none of these appeals should be contingent on the others but said freeing the hostages is “central to solving many other challenges.”
Guterres launched a $1.2 billion humanitarian appeal to help 2.7 million people – the entire 2.2 million population of the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank.
