2024-03-23 13:30:00
António Guterres also demands the release of the Israeli hostages during a visit to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has during his visit to Egypt Calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza war renewed. “Now more than ever is the time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Guterres said on Saturday during a visit to the Rafah border crossing.
“The Palestinians in Gaza, children, women, men, are stuck in a never-ending nightmare. Communities have been wiped out, homes destroyed, entire families and generations wiped out.”
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Guterres also called for the release of the hostages held by the Islamist Hamas. This is in the “spirit of compassion” of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. He once again called on Israel to allow urgently needed aid supplies to pass into the Gaza Strip. “I want the Palestinians in Gaza to know: you are not alone,” the UN chief added. On Saturday, Guterres arrived in Egypt for talks and also traveled to the border near Rafah.
Recently, close allies such as the USA and Germany also criticized Israel’s conduct of the war and called for fewer civilian deaths and more aid supplies in the Gaza Strip. Due to the desperate situation, the USA, Germany and other countries had already ordered the airdrop of humanitarian goods and the establishment of a maritime corridor. According to the UN, around a third of all buildings in the coastal strip have been destroyed or damaged since the start of the war.
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The Gaza war was triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremists on October 7th in southern Israel. They killed 1,200 people and took 250 more hostage to the Gaza Strip. Israel then attacked the coastal area to crush Hamas. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, around 32,000 Palestinians have died so far, although this number includes both civilians and fighters.
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