UN chief brands the scale of death and destruction in Gaza the worst hes ever seen - amid reports almost 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began
The head of the United Nations has branded the scale of death and destruction in Gaza as the worst he has ever seen.
The head of the United Nations has branded the scale of death and destruction in Gaza as the worst he has ever seen.
Secretary-general Antonio Guterres said in an interview with The Associated Press that it is unrealistic to think the UN could play a role in Gazas future, either by administering the territory or providing a peacekeeping force, because Israel is unlikely to accept a UN role.
But he added that the UN will be available to support any ceasefire.
Stressing the urgency of a ceasefire now, Mr Guterres said: The level of suffering we are witnessing in Gaza is unprecedented in my mandate as secretary-general of the United Nations.
Ive never seen such a level of death and destruction as we are seeing in Gaza in the last few months.
Secretary-general Antonio Guterres said it is unrealistic to think the UN could play a role in Gazas future, either by administering the territory or providing a peacekeeping force, because Israel is unlikely to accept a UN role
A man cycles past vendors displaying wares outside heavily damaged buildings in a camp sheltering people displaced by conflict in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip
Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict
The United Nations has had a military monitoring mission in the Middle East, known as UNTSO, since 1948, and he said, from our side, this was one of the hypotheses that weve put on the table.
Of course, well be ready to do whatever the international community asked for us, Mr Guterres said. The question is whether the parties would accept it, and in particular whether Israel would accept it.
Israels military assault on Gaza, triggered by Hamas attacks in southern Israel on October 7, has stretched for 11 months, with recent ceasefire talks failing to reach a breakthrough and violence in the West Bank reaching new highs.
The war has killed more than 40,900 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count.
The war has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gazas population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have accused the UN of being anti-Israel and have been highly critical of UN humanitarian operations in Gaza.
Internally displaced Palestinians, carrying their belongings, set up tents on the ruins of their homes after the Israeli army asked them to evacuate from the city of Rafah, in Khan Yunis camp
The number of fatalities in the airstrike carried out by Israeli army on Al-Mawasi area, located west of Khan Yunis, Gaza, which the Israeli army previously claimed was safe, has risen to 71 on July 13, 2024
A house destroyed in an Israeli strike lies in ruins after a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel expired
Facing protests at home and increasing urgency from allies, Mr Netanyahu has pushed back against pressure for a ceasefire deal and declared that no-one will preach to me.
Looking beyond a ceasefire, Mr Guterres stressed that a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only viable, its the only solution.
The United States and others support Palestinian statehood, but Mr Netanyahu, who is leading the most conservative government in Israels history, has opposed calls for a two-state solution.
Mr Guterres asked rhetorically whether the alternative is viable.
It means that you have five million Palestinians living there without any rights in a state, he said. Is it possible? Can we accept an idea similar to what we had in South Africa in the past?
He was referring to South Africas apartheid system from 1948 until the early 1990s when its minority white population marginalised and segregated people of colour, especially black people.
I do not think you can have two peoples living together if they are not in a basis of equality, and if they are not in a basis of respect - mutual respect of their rights, Mr Guterres said.
So the two-state solution is, in my opinion, a must if we want to have peace in the Middle East.
