UN chief urges ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza as 35,000 Palestinians killed
On Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his call for an “immediate ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, demanding the “unconditional release” of all hostages.
Guterres said, in a recorded speech broadcast during an international donor conference in Kuwait: “I reiterate my call to the world for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, the unconditional release of all hostages, and an immediate increase in humanitarian aid,” according to Agence France-Presse.
He continued: “The war in Gaza is causing horrific human suffering, claiming lives, separating families, and leaving huge numbers of people homeless, suffering from hunger and shock.”
The UN Secretary-General added: “But the ceasefire will only be the beginning.
The road back from the devastation and trauma caused by this war will be a long one. Gazans will need more robust and deeper partnerships for humanitarian assistance and long-term development to regain their feet and rebuild their lives.
The war broke out on October 7 after Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,170 people, according to a count by Agence France-Presse, based on official Israeli data.
More than 250 people were kidnapped, 128 of whom are still detained in Gaza, and 36 of them died, according to Israeli officials.
In response to the attack, Israel pledged to “eliminate” Hamas and has since carried out a devastating bombing campaign and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, causing 34,971 casualties, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The Palestinian news agency said that at least 12 bodies arrived at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahiya and they did not know where to go as Israeli attacks intensified. According to them, they were unaware of the situation, and the sudden attack made them think about what to do as we are physically and mentally worn out and stand on the edge of chaos.
It is reported that from Deir El-Balah in central Gaza, Israeli tanks have started “to go deeper” into the Jabalia refugee camp as it is the biggest of Gaza’s eight refugee camps, home to more than 100,000 people, and most of them belong to village areas and towns.
People who got injured and lost their living places against Israeli bombardment also have to contend with an acute shortage of food and medical supplies in areas where they have taken shelter. Despite this, there is no medical service or humanitarian aid in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
According to the civil defense spokesperson, we have lost almost 80 percent of the capabilities of hoping for a response from international institutions. One of the emergency doctors in Jabalia said that the injured who came to their hospital were mostly women and children, and they were in dire condition.
In central Gaza, the civil defense department reported that a father and son, both doctors, were in an Israeli strike in Deir el-Balah on Sunday and they also received the bodies of 18 people killed in this strike.
Seeing this condition, residents were told to go to al-Mawasi’s “humanitarian zone” through aid groups, but EU chief Charles Michel said Rafah civilians were being ordered to unsafe zones.
