The nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis. It is a crisis of humanity. The intensifying conflict is shaking the world, rattling the region, and most tragically, destroying so many innocent lives, Xinhua reported citing Guterres in a press conference on Monday.
He added that ground operations by the Israeli regime's military and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches, and UN facilities, including shelters. No one is safe.
Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day. More journalists have reportedly been killed over a four-week period than in any conflict in at least three decades. More UN aid workers have been killed than in any comparable period in the history of the World Organization, he said.
He also called for stopping the inhuman collective suffering and expanding humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Some life-saving aid is getting into Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah crossing. But the trickle of assistance does not meet the ocean of need, he said.
The Rafah crossing alone does not have the capacity to process aid trucks at the scale required. Just over 400 trucks have crossed into Gaza over the past two weeks, compared with 500 a day before the conflict. And crucially, this does not include fuel. Without fuel, newborn babies in incubators and patients on life support will die. Water cannot be pumped or purified. Raw sewage could soon start gushing onto the streets, further spreading disease. Trucks loaded with critical relief will be stranded, he warned.
Guterres voiced grave concern about rising violence and an expansion of the conflict.
He called on UN member states to act now to find a way out of this brutal, awful, agonizing dead end of destruction - to help end the pain and suffering.
AMK/PR
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