The United Nations chief has responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that he will only accept a partial cease-fire deal by reiterating his call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the eight-month-long war in Gaza and release of all hostages taken in Israel on Oct. 7. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed Monday that the U.N.’s position has not changed since the beginning of the war, and that a cease-fire and hostage release are “the bases to create the conditions for one day the two-state solution to be possible.”
Quick Read
- UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for an immediate cease-fire and the release of all hostages in response to Netanyahu’s comments about a partial truce.
- Guterres stresses that the UN’s position has not changed and that a cease-fire and hostage release are essential for a future two-state solution.
- Without naming Netanyahu, Guterres indicates a differing position from the Israeli leader’s recent statements.
- Guterres expresses concern that the protection of civilians has not been prioritized in the Gaza conflict, citing over 37,000 Palestinian deaths as unprecedented.
- He urges the international community to enforce international law and respect court decisions related to the conflict.
- Israeli shelling in southern Gaza kills seven and wounds 22, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
- Six Palestinian children with chronic illnesses were transferred from Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad, organized by the World Health Organization.
- This transfer is the first since Israel captured the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in early May.
- Israeli authorities have not commented on the transfer of the children, who suffer from cancer and metabolic syndrome.
- The health sector in Gaza faces severe challenges, with many critical patients unable to leave the territory for treatment.
The Associated Press has the story:
UN chief calls for immediate cease-fire in response to Netanyahu’s comments about a partial truce
Newslooks- UNITED NATIONS – (AP)
The United Nations chief has responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that he will only accept a partial cease-fire deal by reiterating his call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the eight-month-long war in Gaza and release of all hostages taken in Israel on Oct. 7.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed Monday that the U.N.’s position has not changed since the beginning of the war, and that a cease-fire and hostage release are “the bases to create the conditions for one day the two-state solution to be possible.”
Without mentioning Netanyahu by name, Guterres said this is “a different position” from what the Israeli leader laid out in an interview Sunday night with Israeli Channel 14.
Netanyahu’s position also cast doubt on the viability of a U.S.-backed truce, which has three phases and includes a permanent cease-fire if the parties agree.
Guterres also reiterated to reporters Monday that the more than 37,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza is “unprecedented” in any conflict since he took the reins of the United Nations in 2017.
He said this shows that the protection of civilians – a major principle of international humanitarian law — has not been “a key instrument” in the conduct of the war in Gaza.
“The international community must put all pressure for international law to be respected,” Guterres said.
Without referring directly to any court, he said, the decisions of courts that deal with international law “must be respected in all circumstances.”
In late May, the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s highest tribunal, sent a three-pronged message to Israel. It ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern city of Rafah, which is ongoing. It also ordered Israel to provide access to Gaza for war crimes investigators, and to enable a large and immediate increase of humanitarian aid to Gaza, parts of which are enduring famine.
Israeli shelling in southern Gaza kills 7 and wounds 22, health officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says Israeli shelling killed seven people and wounded 22 on Monday afternoon in the southern part of the Palestinian territory.
The ministry said the shelling hit a group of people in Bani Suheila, an area east of the city of Khan Younis. It added that the dead and wounded were taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis without giving further details.
The Health Ministry reported earlier Monday that 28 bodies were brought to hospitals in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, raising the war’s total death toll 37,626. It added that 66 wounded people were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the total number since the start of the war to 86,098.
Six Palestinian kids with chronic illness will leave Gaza in an apparent first since Israel captured Rafah crossing
DEIR Al-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Six Palestinian children who have chronic illnesses including cancer were transferred Monday from a hospital in northern Gaza to another in the south on their way to receive medical treatment outside the besieged territory, family members and medical officials said.
The transfer was being organized by the World Health Organization and appeared to be the first such trip abroad by Gaza residents since Israel captured the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in early May. The crossing remains closed.
Israeli authorities did not have any immediate comment on the transfer.
Five of the children have malignant cases of cancer and one suffers from metabolic syndrome, said Dr. Ahmad al-Faraa, head of the pediatric department at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. They were brought from Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.
He said the six kids will cross into Israel through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, without saying when or where they will be taken for treatment abroad.
The health sector in Gaza has suffered major losses since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. The WHO estimates that 2,150 critical patients are unable to leave the Gaza Strip, as of June 20. Al-Faraa said there are 50,000 adults and children with cancer, chronic diseases and kidney problems who are waiting for treatment abroad.
Parents of some of the children told The Associated Press that their kids’ conditions deteriorated because of a lack of treatment and also a lack of food in Gaza, where people are facing widespread malnutrition due to the war and border closures.
Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The war has sparked a humanitarian crisis and displaced most of the territory’s 2.3 million population.
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