Antonio Guterres described the current situation in Gaza as worse than anything he has witnessed during his tenure, stressing the need to prevent the conflict from expanding into neighbouring countries, particularly Lebanon.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made an urgent plea for the immediate cessation of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, highlighting the grave humanitarian crisis and warning of its potential to spread across the region.
In an interview with The National, Guterres expressed deep concern over the unprecedented destruction and loss of life in Gaza, following Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
He described the current situation as worse than anything he has witnessed during his tenure, stressing the need to prevent the conflict from expanding into neighbouring countries, particularly Lebanon, which could face similar devastation.
“Settlements are illegal. Grabbing of land is illegal. What we have is a massive violation of international law that needs to stop,” the The National quoted the UN chief as saying.
Guterres emphasised the urgency of reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, as efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar remain stalled. He expressed hope that a political solution could still be found, despite the deadlock in negotiations.
“Hope is the last thing we should lose,” he said, while urging all parties involved to demonstrate the political will necessary to resolve the conflict. He reiterated the importance of international humanitarian law, stating that while Hamas’s actions may violate these laws, this does not justify any reciprocal violations by Israel.
When asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank, Guterres did not hold back, calling the settlements a violation of international law and labelling the occupation illegal.
He acknowledged the limitations of the UN in enforcing these laws but stressed that the organization will continue to defend the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
Guterres reiterated that a two-state solution remains the only viable path forward. He questioned the possibility of a one-state solution where millions of Palestinians would live without rights, facing discrimination—something he described as “unacceptable in present times.”
Addressing other regional concerns, Guterres condemned attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on Red Sea shipping in support of Hamas, emphasizing the importance of protecting freedom of navigation, which has been significantly disrupted.
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Pager blasts and Hezbollah retaliation
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel after pagers used by its members exploded across Lebanon simultaneously, killing at least nine people and leaving almost 3,000 injured in a dramatic and unprecedented attack at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the blasts, which came just hours after Israel announced it was broadening the aims of the war sparked by the Hamas attacks on October 7 to include its fight against Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Health Minister, Firass Abiad, said the blasts on Tuesday killed a 10-year-old girl, among others.
He told a press conference: “About 2,750 people were injured… more than 200 of them critically,” with injuries mostly reported to the face, hands and stomach.
The apparent sabotage attack followed months of targeted assassinations by Israel against senior Hezbollah leaders and came as US officials try to de-escalate tensions between the two sides and remain concerned that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, could order a ground invasion of Lebanon.
It threatens to derail efforts by the US to prevent Iran, which backs the Lebanese Shia militia, from retaliating against Israel for the July bombing in Tehran that killed the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The blasts appeared to exploit the low-tech pagers that Hezbollah has adopted in order to prevent the targeted assassinations of its members, who could be tracked by mobile phone signals. Those wounded in the attack include Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, according to reports.
It also ratcheted up tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, interrupting an uneasy calm which had prevailed over the last three weeks when both parties had appeared to step back from the brink of a regional war after a limited Hezbollah response in late August to Israel’s assassination of its top military commander, Fuad Shukur, in Beirut.
Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary called the explosions an act of “Israeli aggression”.
US slams IDF actions
US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, expressed significant frustration with Israel’s military actions in Gaza, accusing it of targeting schools, humanitarian workers, and civilians as the war nears its first anniversary. Her remarks came during a UN Security Council meeting, highlighting growing American dissatisfaction with its close ally.
Thomas-Greenfield criticised recent Israeli strikes, noting that many that injured or killed UN personnel and humanitarian workers “were preventable.” This criticism was amplified by the recent Israeli attack on a former school, repurposed as a civilian shelter by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). This strike resulted in the deaths of six UNRWA staffers and at least 18 others, including women and children. Israel contended that the strike was aimed at a Hamas command-and-control center and claimed that some of the casualties were Hamas operatives who were allegedly involved with UNRWA by day and Hamas by night.
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