United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that an estimated 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing dire and inhumane conditions, struggling to get by without adequate shelter, heating, healthcare, food, or safe drinking water.
Guterres said that the United Nations is working hard to deliver assistance to those in need, but that it is facing “immense humanitarian suffering and obstacles.”
In a briefing to the UN Security Council ministerial meeting, Guterres said that the past 100 days have been “devastating” for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with more than 26,000 people killed, mostly women and children, and more than 60,000 injured in Israeli operations.
Guterres stressed that humanitarian workers need a range of operational requirements to do their work, including safety, appropriate equipment, logistical capabilities, and access. He called for rapid, safe, unimpeded, and sustained access for humanitarian assistance to all parts of Gaza.
Most of the humanitarian missions to the north of the Gaza Strip were denied by Israel in the first two weeks of January, Guterres said. Guterres reiterated his call for an end to all violations of international humanitarian law.
He said that the use of human shields is unacceptable, as are the unprecedented levels of destruction and civilian casualties.
Guterres also renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. He said that the war and misery in Gaza are fueling unrest beyond the borders of the enclave.
Guterres pointed to the serious developments in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where tensions are escalating and dozens of Palestinians are being arrested every day.
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