The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday listed a series of obligations that Israel, as an occupying power, has and is not fulfilling, leading to Gaza becoming a killing ground where civilians live in an endless vicious cycle.
“As an occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law , including humanitarian and human rights law ,” António Guterres told reporters in New York.
After noting that it has been more than a month since “a single drop of aid ” has reached the Gaza Strip, he added that the lack of food and other basic goods “has reopened the floodgates of horror.”
Guterres cited verbatim articles from international conventions that establish Israel's obligations to ensure the supply of food, medicine, and essential services to the population; allow the entry and delivery of humanitarian aid; and protect medical and relief personnel.
“ None of that is happening today ,” he pointed out.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaks to the press about the situation in Gaza.
Faded hope
During the ceasefire, life-saving aid was distributed throughout the Gaza Strip and hostages were freed, but hope faded when the truce broke down. “That is why I have consistently insisted on the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access ,” he added.
As several UN humanitarian agencies warned yesterday, Guterres clarified that it is not true that there is enough food in Gaza for the entire population, as Israeli authorities have claimed.
Humanitarian heroes
The head of the United Nations highlighted the work of humanitarian workers, calling them "heroes" who, even under enemy fire, do everything possible to help people.
UN agencies and our partners are ready and determined to deliver, he said; however, the new “authorization mechanisms” proposed by Israeli authorities for the delivery of assistance risk cruelly limiting aid “to the last calorie and grain of flour,” he added.
“Let’s be clear: we will not participate in any agreement that does not fully respect humanitarian principles : humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality. Unimpeded humanitarian access must be guaranteed. And humanitarian personnel must receive the protection afforded to them under international law,” he emphasized firmly.
Guterres again called for an independent investigation into the killing of aid workers and urged accountability.
We will never run away from the truth
“The world may lack words to describe the situation in Gaza, but we will never shy away from the truth. The current path is a dead end , utterly intolerable in the eyes of international law and history.”
"And the risk of the occupied West Bank becoming another Gaza makes it even worse," he stressed, urging an end to the dehumanization, the protection of civilians, the release of hostages, the provision of vital aid, and the renewal of the ceasefire.
Asked about the US president's statements regarding the expulsion of Gazans from their territory to relocate to other countries and the development of Gaza into a real estate market, the Secretary-General responded categorically: " Palestinians have the right to live in Palestine ; any attempt to displace them is against international law."
Vital supplies stuck at border crossings
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA ) reported 400.000 more displaced people in Gaza, with shelters overcrowded and hygiene and sanitation conditions collapsing.
“The supplies needed to respond are stuck at border crossings. It’s been a month since aid was blocked. This is a preventable crisis,” he stressed in a tweet.
More than 2,1 million people are trapped, bombed and starving again , OCHA emphasized.
He also noted that in the first week following the breakdown of the ceasefire, more than 1,000 children were killed or wounded , the highest number of child deaths in a single week in Gaza in the past year.