UN Secretary-General Stresses Necessity of Ceasefire, Opening of Crossings to Bring Aid into Gaza

Amman, Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres stressed the necessity of a ceasefire and the opening of all crossings to bring aid into Gaza, welcoming all coordinated efforts made to fully operationalize the mechanism to facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza as mandated by the Security Council resolution. During the emergency international conference on the urgent humanitarian response for Gaza, which is hosted by Jordan, Secretary-General said that Palestinians face starvation at desperate levels, and more than 50,000 children need treatment for acute malnutrition. Guterres pointed put that the massacres and slaughter committed in Gaza are unlike any acts committed since he took office, underlining the deteriorating security situation and living conditions, and shortages of medical supplies, fuel, and clean drinking water for more than a million Palestinians. "I welcome the peace initiative recently outlined by President Biden and urge all parties to seize this opportunity and come to an agreement," he said, adding, "I call on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. This includes facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid both into and inside Gaza, as they have committed. All available routes into Gaza must be operational - and the land routes are absolutely crucial." The conference aims to identify ways to enhance the international community's response to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, identify mechanisms and effective steps for response, the necessary operational and logistical needs in this context, and commit to coordinating a unified response to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The ongoing genocide on Gaza is causing a humanitarian catastrophe for more than 2.3 million Palestinians in various regions of the Strip, spreading famine, psychological suffering and massive destruction, and the access of food, water, housing, and medicines to the population has become almost non-existent. Source: Qatar News Agency