In addition to demanding a stop to the biggest death toll and devastation he has witnessed in his more than seven years in office, the UN chief claims that the organisation has promised to oversee any truce in Gaza, reports Breaking News.
In an interview with The Associated Press, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that it is “unrealistic” to believe that the UN could manage Gaza or send a peacekeeping force there because Israel is not likely to agree to such a role.
However, he stated, “Any ceasefire will have the support of the UN.” Since 1948, the United Nations has operated UNTSO, a military surveillance mission in the Middle East, reports Breaking News.
“Of course, we’ll be ready to do whatever the international community asked for us,” Mr Guterres said. “The question is whether the parties would accept it, and in particular whether Israel would accept it,” reports Breaking News.
After Hamas launched strikes in southern Israel on October 7, Israel launched its 11-month-long military campaign against Gaza. Recent ceasefire negotiations have not resulted in a breakthrough, and violence in the West Bank has escalated to unprecedented levels.
“The level of suffering we are witnessing in Gaza is unprecedented in my mandate as Secretary-General of the United Nations,” Mr. Guterres said, highlighting the importance of a ceasefire immediately, reports Breaking News.
“I’ve never seen such a level of death and destruction as we are seeing in Gaza in the last few months,” reports Breaking News.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that the battle has claimed the lives of around 40,900 Palestinians; the ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians when calculating this figure.
Ninety percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been relocated, frequently more than once, as a result of the war’s immense devastation, reports Breaking News.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and his administration have harshly criticised UN humanitarian efforts in Gaza and charged that the UN is biassed against Israel.
In response to domestic demonstrations and mounting pressure from allies, Mr. Netanyahu has resisted calls for a cease-fire agreement and said that “no-one will preach to me, reports Breaking News.
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