GENEVA, (PIC)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concern that a large-scale ground attack on the city of Rafah by the Israeli army will negatively affect the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Guterres warned in his speech to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday that “any comprehensive Israeli attack on the city will not only be terrifying for over a million Palestinian civilians who have sought refuge there, but it will also be the final nail in the coffin of the assistance programs we provide.”
The Secretary-General emphasized that Rafah is at the core of humanitarian assistance efforts and that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is the backbone of this effort.
Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
In discussing the Security Council’s failure to stop the aggression on Gaza, the Secretary-General stated that “the Council’s lack of unity regarding Israeli military operations in Gaza undermined or perhaps even eliminated its authority.”
Guterres stressed that the urgent need to uphold all human rights as they apply to peace and security, supported by serious efforts in implementation and accountability, affirming that the UN must not become indifferent to the horrific and repeated violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
These statements come in the context of escalating warnings of death by starvation in the northern Gaza Strip due to the Israeli war of starvation against the Palestinian people there, by targeting essential sources of life and preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The humanitarian catastrophe suffered by the residents of the Gaza Strip has worsened as a result of the continued brutal bombardment by the Israeli occupation forces, which has led to the displacement of nearly 1.8 million people within the Gaza Strip.
