UN Chief António Guterres on Gaza Escalation, Humanitarian Crisis, and West Bank Settlements

Gaza Humanitarian Catastrophe

• ⚠️ Civilians in Gaza are facing a deadly escalation with devastating consequences, including forced displacement and deeper peril.
• 🏥 Unconscionable Israeli strikes, including on Nasser Hospital, have killed civilians, medical personnel, and journalists, demanding accountability.
• 💥 Gaza is described as being piled with rubble, bodies, and evidence of serious violations of international law.
• 📉 Famine is a present-day catastrophe, with people dying from hunger and vital systems for survival systematically dismantled.

Obligations and International Law

• ⚖️ Israel, as the occupying power, has clear obligations to ensure essential provisions, facilitate humanitarian access, protect civilians, and end destruction.
• 🌍 The International Court of Justice's binding provisional measures for unfettered humanitarian assistance must be implemented fully and immediately.
• 🚫 UN efforts to provide aid are frequently blocked, delayed, and denied, which is unacceptable.

West Bank Situation

• 📈 The West Bank faces alarming military operations, settler violence, demolitions, and discriminatory policies leading to displacement and vulnerability.
• 🚧 The relentless expansion of settlements, particularly in the E1 area, threatens the two-state solution by fracturing communities.
• 📜 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are maintained in violation of international law and must cease.

Call for Action

• 🕊️ An appeal is made for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access, and the unconditional release of all hostages.
• ⚔️ Starvation of the civilian population must never be used as a method of warfare.
• ✅ Civilians must be protected, humanitarian access must be unimpeded, and there should be no more excuses, obstacles, or lies.