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Gaza becoming ‘a graveyard for children’, says UN secretary general Gaza becoming ‘a graveyard for children’, says UN secretary general
(about 1 hour later)
António Guterres calls for more aid trucks to enter besieged territory and calls for end to ‘dead end of destruction’António Guterres calls for more aid trucks to enter besieged territory and calls for end to ‘dead end of destruction’
The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, has said the protection of civilians “must be paramount” in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas, warning that the Gaza Strip was becoming “a graveyard for children”. The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, has warned that the Gaza Strip is becoming “a graveyard for children” as he called again for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid into the embattled territory.
“We must act now to find a way out of this brutal, awful, agonising dead end of destruction,” said Guterres on Monday, repeating his calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The UN chief’s comments came on Monday after Gaza health authorities said the death toll had now exceeded 10,000 people and the heads of all the major UN humanitarian organisations made an unprecedented joint statement calling for a ceasefire.
Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, after the militants killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 hostages in an attack on 7 October. Israel has struck Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground invasion. Palestinian health authorities said the death toll in Gaza exceeds 10,000 people. “We must act now to find a way out of this brutal, awful, agonising dead end of destruction,” Guterres told reporters at the UN. “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day.”
“Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day,” Guterres said. Efforts at the UN security council to negotiate an agreed resolution calling for a ceasefire are deadlocked, with the 10 non-permanent members doing their best to reach an agreement on wording and emphasis. Pressure will then be applied to prevent one of the five veto-wielding permanent members, most likely the US or Russia, from blocking the text.
He said clear violations of international humanitarian law were being committed. He said the UN needed $1.2bn (£1bn) to help deliver aid to 2.7 million people in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, after the militants killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 hostages in a string of attacks on 7 October. On Monday, the Israeli military said it had completely encircled Gaza City after more than a week of heavy fighting, in effect severing the territory into two.
“Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and UN facilities including shelters. No one is safe,” Guterres told reporters. Guterres said that clear violations of international humanitarian law were being committed. He added that the UN needed $1.2bn (£1bn) to help deliver aid to 2.7 million people in Gaza and the West Bank. In practice little of this aid can reach people inside Gaza.
“Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and UN facilities, including shelters. No one is safe,” Guterres told reporters.
“At the same time, Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israel,” he said.“At the same time, Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israel,” he said.
Guterres said 89 people working with the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) had been killed in Gaza, which he described as the highest toll for UN aid workers, higher “than in any comparable period in the history of our organisation.” Guterres said 89 people working with the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) had been killed in Gaza, which he described as the highest toll for UN aid workers, higher “than in any comparable period in the history of our organisation”.
Aid trucks have been trickling into Gaza from Egypt via Rafah, the main crossing that does not border Israel. But UN officials have repeatedly said this is insufficient for Gaza’s civilian population of about 2.3 million, more than one million of whom have been made homeless by Israel’s bombardment. In a phone call on Monday with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the US president, Joe Biden, repeated calls to protect Palestinians, but there were few signs that US calls for restraint were being heard.
Asked about civilian casualties on Monday, a White House spokesperson said: “We have seen some indications that there are efforts being applied in certain scenarios to try to minimise, but I don’t want to overstate that.”
Meanwhile, aid has started to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing in Egypt again, Gutteres said, but it was arriving at wholly inadequate rates.
“The trickle of assistance does not meet the ocean of need,” Guterres said. “The Rafah crossing alone does not have the capacity to process aid trucks at the scale required.”“The trickle of assistance does not meet the ocean of need,” Guterres said. “The Rafah crossing alone does not have the capacity to process aid trucks at the scale required.”
He said just over 400 trucks had crossed into Gaza over the past two weeks, compared with 500 per day before the conflict, adding that the supplies being delivered did not include much needed fuel. He said slightly more than 400 trucks had crossed into Gaza over the past two weeks – compared with 500 a day before the conflict began – representing an average of 28 trucks a day.
The United Nations last week said more than one border crossing was needed to deliver aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, and Kerem Shalom - controlled by Israel - is the only one equipped to cope with enough trucks. The UN last week said more than one border crossing was needed to deliver aid to Gaza, and that Kerem Shalom – controlled by Israel – was the only one equipped to take enough trucks. Israel has refused to open the crossing, saying it would represent a security risk.