New York – Saba:
UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared on Friday that the situation facing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is “not only a humanitarian crisis, but a moral crisis that shakes the global conscience.”
In a video address to an event organized by Amnesty International, Guterres warned that “powerful lobbies are aligning against human rights and the international order,” according to the official Palestinian news agency.
“We are witnessing an assault on the International Criminal Court, the international human rights system, and its representatives, along with blatant violations of international law,” he stated.
Guterres stressed that such violations span from Sudan to Ukraine, and include the “brutal attacks” by Israel on Gaza.
“Nothing can justify the death and destruction the world has witnessed since October 7, 2023,” he added.
He noted that “the scale of destruction in Gaza is unlike anything we have seen in recent years.”
The UN chief expressed his inability to explain “the indifference and inaction” shown by many in the international community, calling it a “disconnect from reality and a loss of humanity.”
He pointed out that UN staff are still working “under extremely difficult conditions in Gaza.”
Guterres also shared a heartbreaking observation: “Children [in Gaza] say they want to go to heaven—at least there, they say, there’s food,” emphasizing that “words don’t feed hungry children.”
He reiterated the UN’s urgent need for a ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid operations.
Since October 7, 2023, with U.S. and European support, the Israeli occupation army has continued committing acts of genocide in Gaza, resulting in the killing of 59,676 Palestinian civilians—most of them women and children—and injuring 143,498 others, according to preliminary counts. Thousands remain under the rubble and in the streets, unreachable by rescue teams.
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