UNITED NATIONS, United States: Nothing justifies Israel\u2019s collective punishment of the people of Gaza as they endure \u201cunimaginable\u201d suffering, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP on Monday.
\nGuterres lashed out at Israel\u2019s handling of its war in the devastated Palestinian territory, now almost in its second year, as the UN prepares to host world leaders starting next week.
\n\u201cIt is unimaginable, the level of suffering in Gaza, the level of deaths and destruction have no parallel in everything I\u2019ve witnessed since (becoming) secretary-general,\u201d said Guterres, who has led the embattled international organization since 2017.
\n\u201cWe all condemn the terror attacks made by Hamas, as well as the taking of the hostages, that is an absolute violation of international humanitarian law,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cBut the truth is that nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, and that is what we are witnessing in a dramatic way in Gaza,\u201d he added, decrying the widespread carnage and hunger blighting Gaza.
\nOn October 7, Hamas fighters infiltrated from Gaza into southern Israel, unleashing unprecedented violence which killed 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP toll including hostages killed in captivity.
\nIn response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, in power in Gaza since 2007, and its land and air offensive has claimed 41,226 lives according to the health ministry of the Hamas government.
\nMore than 200 humanitarian workers, mostly UN staff, have also been killed.
\n\u201cAccountability should be a must\u201d for all civilian deaths, Guterres said acknowledging \u201cserious violations\u201d had been perpetrated by both Israel and Hamas.
\nAgainst that backdrop the UN leader has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, but talks overseen by the United States, Egypt and Qatar remain deadlocked, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of resisting a deal.
\n\u201cThey are endless,\u201d Guterres said of the talks, saying it would be \u201cvery difficult\u201d to reach a compromise but that he remained hopeful.
\nWith Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refusing to return his calls since October, Guterres is not counting on a breakthrough during the General Assembly\u2019s high-level week from Sunday when he would typically receive all visiting heads of state and government.
\n\u201cAs far as I understand, it was already said publicly that it is not his intention to ask for any meeting with me. So of course, the meeting will very probably not take place,\u201d Guterres said, brushing off the apparent snub.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat matters is not the question of a phone call or no phone call, a meeting or no meeting \u2014 what matters is what happens on the ground. What matters is the suffering of people.
\n\u201cWhat matters is the constant denial of the two-state solution and the undermining of that two-state solution by the different actions that are taking place on the grounds.
\n\u201cWith grabbing of land, with evictions, with the new settlements being built \u2014 all illegally and in the context of an occupation that now, according to the International Court of Justice\u2019s opinion, is in itself also illegal.\u201d
\nHe also said a proposed surveillance mission he backed to oversee any future ceasefire looked \u201cimprobable,\u201d with all sides unlikely to sign up.
\nUN missions require the agreement of the host countries.
\nIt was partly for this reason that almost a year ago, the Security Council mandated a multinational mission, led by Kenya, not the UN, to help police in gang-plagued Haiti where blue helmets are reviled.
\nBut with only a few hundred police officers deployed and the mission lacking funds, Washington has raised the specter of transforming it into a UN mission \u2014 something that the Security Council could only do at Haiti\u2019s request.
\n\u201cI find it very strange that it\u2019s so difficult to fund a relatively small police operation in Haiti,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI find it absolutely unacceptable.\u201d
\nResponding to accusations the UN is powerless to curb conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, he blamed member states \u2014 particularly the Security Council and its 15 members \u2014 for the decisions taken or not taken.
\nThe Security Council as well as international financial institutions are \u201coutdated, are dysfunctional and are unfair,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe have been trying to solve the wars, the problem is that we have not the power, sometimes we don\u2019t even have the resources, to be able to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, United States: Nothing justifies Israel\u2019s collective punishment of the people of Gaza as they endure \u201cunimaginable\u201d suffering, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP on Monday. Guterres lashed out at Israel\u2019s handling of its war in the devastated Palestinian territory, now almost in its second year, as the UN prepares to host world leaders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-431768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n