UNITED NATIONS, Jul 22 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is appalled by the accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing, his Spokesperson said Monday.
Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, a day after dozens of Palestinians were killed seeking food aid.
He said the Secretary-General deplored the growing reports of both children and adults suffering from malnutrition and strongly condemned the ongoing violence, including the shooting, killing and injuring of people attempting to get food.
“Civilians must be protected and respected, and they must never be targeted,” said Dujarric, noting that the population in Gaza remains gravely undersupplied with the basic necessities of life.
The UN secretary-General spoke as 25 nations, including major US allies — Britain, Canada and Japan — issued a joint statement on Monday with “a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now.”
The statement by the U.S allies and partners across the globe and published online by the U.K government condemns Israel’s tightly-controlled aid distribution method, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s U.S.-backed government of the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children.”
“It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid,” said the statement, which was published after one of the deadliest days for aid seekers during the 21-month war in Gaza. Health officials in the enclave said more than 80 people were killed trying to access emergency food supplies on Sunday alone.
In addition to the U.K., the nations that signed the joint statement were Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
At his meeting on Monday with the UN Chief, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for Palestinian statehood, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and firm opposition to Israel’s annexation plans in the West Bank.
The DPM and the UNSG also discussed the upcoming High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, being held in New York next week, and exchanged views on the need to decide meaningful outcomes at that Conference.
In his statement on the killing of Palestinians seeking food, Guterres stressed that “Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations.”
Dujarric said the Secretary-General noted that the recent intensification of hostilities comes as the humanitarian system in Gaza is being impeded, undermined and endangered.
He pointed to a new evacuation order issued for parts of Deir Al-Balah, which is pushing people into more desperate conditions and sparking further displacement, while restricting the UN’s ability to deliver aid.
He reported that two UN guesthouses in Deir Al-Balah were struck, despite the parties being informed about their locations.
“They suffered damage,” he said, responding a reporter’s question. “The UN staff inside was, to say the least, rattled.”
Dujarric underscored that the UN intends to remain in Deir Al-Balah.
The Secretary-General reiterated his urgent call for the protection of civilians, including humanitarian personnel, and for the provision of essential resources to ensure their survival.
He once again called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Dujarric said the UN stands ready to significantly scale up its humanitarian operations in Gaza, adding “the time for a ceasefire is now.”
APP/ift