UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urgently called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting a humanitarian crisis of "horrific proportions." He demanded full, safe, and sustained access for aid deliveries into the besieged territory.

Guterres stressed that the situation in Gaza is now more dire than ever. "Bombs are falling — on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run," he stated, adding that "the search for food must never be a death sentence."

He condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks but noted Israel's subsequent military operations have repeatedly displaced families, confining Gaza's population to less than one-fifth of its area. Even these shrinking zones remain threatened.

Despite a recent Israel-Iran ceasefire offering a glimmer of hope, Guterres insisted political courage is vital for a similar ceasefire in Gaza. He lamented the limited aid, asserting, "What's needed now is a surge; the trickle must become an ocean."

A small UN medical shipment recently crossed into Gaza, the first in months, but Guterres emphasized its inadequacy. "Doctors are forced to choose who gets the last vial of medicine... Aid workers themselves are starving. This cannot be normalized."

Dismissing alternative aid plans as "dangerous schemes," Guterres urged governments and international actors to uphold their responsibilities, stressing that a two-state solution is the only sustainable path to re-establishing hope.

Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2606072/middle-east