UN chief warns of humanitarian disaster in Gaza, calls for immediate ceasefire

Speaking during a visit to Jordan on Monday, Guterres said Israel should be notified that its planned ground invasion of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip would cause a humanitarian disaster.

"We see a growing consensus emerging in the international community to tell the Israelis that the ceasefire is needed," he told a news conference.

There is also a growing consensus in the US, the European Union and of course in the Muslim world "to tell clearly to Israelis that any ground invasion of Rafah could mean a humanitarian disaster,” the UN chief added.

Guterres said his visit to the gates of the besieged Gaza Strip at the Rafah border crossing on Saturday aimed to "send a message about the necessity of stopping the aggression and for the international community to fulfill its duties with decisions and not just words."

He emphasized that the Palestinians are suffering from severe shortages of food and drink and the spread of various infectious diseases.

"We all have to highlight and stop this suffering immediately. It is our responsibility,” the UN chief pointed out.

He once again reaffirmed his continued support for justice in Gaza and said, "No one will be able to silence his voice.”

The United Nations has repeatedly warned of famine in the Palestinian territory, particularly in the north, which has been largely cut off from aid deliveries.

Israel waged its brutal US-backed war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

However, almost six months into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives despite killing at least 32,226 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 74,518 others.