UNITED NATIONS, Dec 05 (APP): U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his extreme alarm Monday about the resumption of deadly Israeli bombing, while reiterating his call for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire in war-shattered Gaza and the immediate release of all hostages.
“The U.N. continues to appeal to Israeli forces to avoid further action that would exacerbate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and to spare civilians from more suffering,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. “Civilians — including health workers, journalists and U.N. personnel — and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times.”
The UN chief called on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and renewed his call for a sustained humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and for unconditional and immediate release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.
He also emphasized the need for unimpeded and sustained humanitarian aid flow to Gaza, noting that people, who had been ordered to evacuate, have nowhere safe to go and very little to survive on.
The statement said the UN chief also remained gravely concerned about the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank, including intensified Israeli security operations, high numbers of fatalities and arrests, spiking Jewish settler violence and attacks on Israelis.
“The number of civilians killed is rapidly increasing,” said Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees.
“Civilians, including men, women, children, older persons, the sick and people with disabilities, are the most to suffer,” Lazzarini said.
He also emphasized the need for unimpeded and sustained humanitarian aid flow to Gaza, noting that people, who had been ordered to evacuate, have nowhere safe to go and very little to survive on.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also called on Israel to take measures to protect civilians.
The UN health agency was on Monday notified by Israel to remove supplies from its medical warehouse in the south “as ground operations will put it beyond use,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on social media calling for the order to be withdrawn.
Humanitarian officials have warned that the current situation in Gaza did not allow them to address the immense needs there.
More than two million people live in the enclave and over 80 per cent, nearly 1.9 million, are now displaced, according to the latest update from UNRWA, which is sheltering 1.2 million residents in its facilities.
UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA said limited aid distributions took place in Rafah governorate in southern Gaza on Sunday and largely stopped in the adjacent Khan Younis governorate due to the intensity of hostilities.
Additionally, central Gaza was largely disconnected from the south, following Israeli forces’ prevention of movement, including of humanitarian supplies.
“Meanwhile, grave concerns persist about waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources, particularly in the north, where the water desalination plant and the pipeline from Israel had been shut down,” OCHA reported.
Furthermore, there has been almost no improvement in the access of residents in north Gaza to water for drinking and domestic purposes for weeks.
The World Food Programme (WFP) continues to warn about the ongoing risk of famine among the entire population in Gaza, especially for those with chronic diseases, older persons, children and people living with disabilities.
In related developments, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has concluded his first visit to Israel and the State of Palestine, where he met with victims on both sides of the conflict.
This marked the first-ever such visit by a Prosecutor from the court, which was established in 2002 under a treaty known as the Rome Statute to investigate and try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crime of aggression.
Karim Khan issued a statement on Sunday which said he had a simple message during the mission – “My Office is here to ensure that the protection of the law is felt by all.”
