Guterres calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire as humanitarian crisis reaches ‘horrific proportions’

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters ahead of his departure to Spain for the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Secretary-General said that while the Israel-Iran conflict had dominated recent headlines, the plight of civilians in Gaza remained urgent and dire.

“Families have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land,” he said.

“Even these shrinking spaces are under threat. Bombs are falling – on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.”

Search for food must never be a death sentence

Mr. Guterres described the situation as the most severe since the onset of the war, citing acute shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

“The search for food must never be a death sentence,” he said, highlighting the danger faced by Palestinians simply trying to survive.

He has repeatedly called for three urgent steps: an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full, unimpeded humanitarian access.

On Friday, he again pressed for these demands, emphasising that aid workers are starving, hospitals are rationing life-saving supplies and civilians are trapped in unsafe zones.

Surge in aid urgently needed

“What’s needed now is a surge – the trickle must become an ocean,” he said.

The UN chief stressed that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally obliged to facilitate humanitarian relief.

“To those in power, I say: enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. To those with influence, I say: use it,” he added.

Earlier this week, a small convoy of UN medical supplies entered Gaza for the first time in months, Mr. Guterres noted, adding that it only underscored the overwhelming scale of the need.

He also also cautioned that any aid delivery method must ensure civilian safety, stressing that “operations which place desperate people in or near militarized areas are inherently unsafe.”

“We have the solution – a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence,” he said.

“It worked during the last ceasefire. So it must be allowed to work again.”

Two-State solution critical

Mr. Guterres concluded with a broader political appeal:

“The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-State solution. Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail.”