Secretary-General António Guterres holds a press conference at United Nations Headquarters on the climate crisis following recent visits to Chile and Antarctica. The Secretary-General answered questions about the upcoming COP28 conference in Dubai and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Lev Ladin | Light Rocket | Getty Images
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for massive aid to Gaza to fight hunger, saying there was a growing international consensus telling Israel a ceasefire was needed in its war against Hamas.
During a visit to Jordan, Guterres said he also saw a growing consensus telling Israel that any ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost town of Gaza on the border with Egypt, could mean a humanitarian disaster.
Rafah has become the last refuge for half of Gaza’s displaced population, with the number of Palestinians displaced as they flee fighting elsewhere in Gaza growing after more than five months of war.
Guterres said Israel should remove all obstacles to providing aid to Gezi and allow convoys from UNRWA, the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency, to enter northern Gaza, where famine is looming.
Palestinians wait to receive food during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan as clashes between Israel and Hamas continue in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, March 13, 2024.
Muhammad Salem | Reuters
Guterres said: “It is absolutely necessary to provide substantial humanitarian assistance now. This means opening more entry points, which means the concentration of efforts by all entities and the absence of obstacles and restrictions on the Israeli side.”
During a visit to a center in Jordan’s Vidat refugee camp where UNRWA provides health and education services, a senior UN official said the agency was a lifeline of hope and dignity for millions of refugees in the region.
Guterres added: “The decision not to allow an UNRWA convoy to travel to northern Gaza, where hunger is so severe, is completely unacceptable and those who made it must bear historical responsibility for the consequences of that decision.”
A woman stands in front of a vehicle loaded with rope items as people flee north from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip toward the center of the Palestinian territory on February 13, 2024, as clashes between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas continue. react.
Mohamed Abed | AFP | Getty Images
When the war began, Israel stopped all imports of food, medicine, electricity and fuel into Gaza. Although aid was later allowed to be delivered, aid groups said security checks and difficulties crossing the war zone had greatly hampered their movement.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who accompanied Guterres, called on U.N. Security Council members to vote on Monday in support of a resolution calling for a ceasefire and urging Israel to allow unhindered aid, saying it would send “the message that what is happening is happening.” What is happening is unacceptable and what is happening must stop.”
Displaced Palestinians collect food donated by charities before iftar on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, March 11, 2024, as fighting continues between Israel and the militant group Ha Mas.
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Safadi added: “There is no justification for continuing to kill innocent people… with so much massacre. There is no justification for depriving men, women and children of their right to food and medicine.”
Jordan is at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict and hosts 2.4 million Palestinian refugees, the largest number of such refugees among Israel’s neighbors. Many citizens are Palestinian.
UNRWA has been in crisis since Israel accused a dozen of its staff of participating in Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.
The accusations prompted several large UNRWA donors to suspend funding, putting the agency’s future into question. However, some other countries later resumed funding.
Israel denies blocking aid to Gaza and says it is the responsibility of the United Nations and humanitarian agencies to deliver aid once in the area. Israel has also accused Hamas of stealing aid, a charge the group denies.
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