UNITED NATIONS, Oct 10 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the Hamas attack against Israel, but said he was \u201cdeeply distressed\u201d by the Jewish state\u2019s subsequent imposition of a total siege on the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated. \u201cThe humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities,\u201d the UN chief told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Monday following a meeting with senior officials. \u201cNow it will only deteriorate exponentially.\u201d Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said his country would impose a \u201ccomplete siege\u201d on the long blockaded enclave and stressed what this meant for its 2.3 million people: \u201cNo electricity, no food, no water, no gas \u2014 it\u2019s all closed.\u201d Guterres said that he recognized the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people and the legitimate security concerns of Israel, but underlined his rejection of terrorist acts and upheld the need to protect civilians. \u201cLet me begin by repeating my utter condemnation of the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in the Gaza periphery, which have left over 800 Israelis dead and more than 2,500 injured,\u201d he said. \u201cSadly, these numbers are expected to rise as the attacks are ongoing and many remain unaccounted for,\u201d the UN chief added. He further noted that over 100 Israelis \u2013 civilians and military, including women, children and the elderly \u2013 have been reported captured by armed groups. Some are being held hostage inside Israel and many others have been taken inside the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have launched thousands of indiscriminate rockets that have reached central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. \u201cI recognize the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people. But nothing can justify these acts of terror and the killing, maiming and abduction of civilians,\u201d he said. \u201cI reiterate my call to immediately cease these attacks and release all hostages.\u201d In the face of these unprecedented attacks, Israeli airstrikes have pounded Gaza, he continued. \u201cI am deeply alarmed by reports of over 500 Palestinians \u2014 including women and children \u2014 killed in Gaza and over 3,000 injured. Unfortunately, these numbers are rising by the minute as Israeli operations continue,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile I recognize Israel\u2019s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law.\u201d The Secretary-General stressed that civilians must be respected and protected at all times and that civilian infrastructure must never be a target. He pointed to reports that Israeli missiles had struck health facilities inside Gaza as well as multi-storied residential towers and a mosque. Two schools run by UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees, that were sheltering displaced families in Gaza were also hit. Overall, some 137,000 people are currently sheltering in UNRWA facilities, he continued, adding that numbers are increasing. Guterres was deeply distressed by the announcement that Israel would initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip. \u201cThe humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities; now it will only deteriorate exponentially,\u201d he said. \u201cI urge all sides and the relevant parties to allow United Nations access to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians trapped and helpless in the Gaza Strip. I appeal to the international community to mobilize immediate humanitarian support for this effort.\u201d The Secretary-General said this most recent violence \u201cdoes not come in a vacuum\u201d but \u201cgrows out of a long-standing conflict, with a 56-year long occupation and no political end in sight.\u201d He appealed for an end to \u201cthe vicious cycle of bloodshed, hatred and polarization.\u201d \u201cIsrael must see its legitimate security needs materialized \u2013 and Palestinians must see a clear perspective for the establishment of their state realized,\u201d he said. \u201cOnly a negotiated peace that fulfills the legitimate national aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis, together with their security alike \u2013 the long-held vision of a two-state solution, in line with United Nations resolutions, international law and previous agreements \u2013 can bring long-term stability to the people of this land and the wider Middle East region.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 10 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the Hamas attack against Israel, but said he was \u201cdeeply distressed\u201d by the Jewish state\u2019s subsequent imposition of a total siege on the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated. \u201cThe humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities,\u201d the UN chief […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3218],"class_list":{"0":"post-360704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-antonio-guterres"},"yoast_head":"\n