New York - Gaza: Europe and the Arabs
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern over the human losses resulting from the escalation of hostilities in Gaza. He condemned the killing of more than 1,000 people, including women and children, since the collapse of the ceasefire. According to the UN Daily News Bulletin, a copy of which we received this Thursday morning,
In his daily press conference, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that the extensive Israeli bombing and ground operations have resulted in widespread destruction and the displacement of more than 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah in the past two days alone, most of whom have been displaced multiple times, leaving only a few of their belongings.
He added: "The Secretary-General is shocked by the Israeli army's attacks on a medical and emergency convoy on 23 March, which resulted in the deaths of 15 medical and humanitarian workers in Gaza." Dujarric stressed that all parties to the conflict must protect medical, humanitarian, and emergency personnel at all times and respect and protect civilians, in accordance with international humanitarian law. He emphasized the need to end the denial of life-saving assistance.
He reported that since October 2023, at least 408 aid workers have been killed in Gaza, including 280 UN humanitarian workers.
Dujarric said the Secretary-General honors the memory of all humanitarian workers killed in this conflict and demands a full, thorough, and independent investigation into these incidents.
The Secretary-General reiterated his strong condemnation of the October 7 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on Israel, stressing that there is no justification for these terrorist attacks or the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Guterres reiterated his urgent call for an immediate resumption of the ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Gaza. Rejecting any attempt at demographic or territorial changes
Regarding a question about plans to seize more territory in Gaza, UN spokesman Dujarric said, "The Secretary-General also recalls that Security Council resolution 2735 rejects any attempt to make demographic or territorial changes in the Gaza Strip, including any measures that would reduce the area of ​​the Strip."
He added that the Secretary-General expresses, in this regard, his growing concern about the inflammatory rhetoric calling for Israel to "seize control of a large territory that would be added to the security zone of the State of Israel."
"Even the rubble has become a target"
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), announced that Israeli forces bombed an UNRWA building in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
He said in a post on the X platform that the building was formerly a health center and had been severely damaged earlier in the war. He added, "In Gaza, even the rubble has become a target."
Lazzarini stated that initial reports indicate that the facility was sheltering more than 700 people when it was bombed, and that "among those reportedly killed were nine children, including a two-week-old baby." He noted that displaced families remained in the shelter after it was bombed because they had nowhere else to go.
He explained that since the start of the war, more than 300 UN buildings have been destroyed or damaged, despite the coordinates of these locations being regularly shared with the parties to the conflict. He said that more than 700 people have been killed while seeking UN protection.
He also reported reports of a very large number of UNRWA buildings being used for military and combat purposes by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, or by Israeli forces.
Lazzarini said: "The complete disregard for UN staff, premises, or operations is a flagrant violation of international law. I once again call for independent investigations to establish the circumstances of all these attacks and serious violations. In Gaza, every line has been crossed time and again." "Gaza is a death trap." Meanwhile, Jonathan Whittall, Acting Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory, described the situation in the Gaza Strip as a "war without borders." He noted that "airstrikes rock the Strip day and night. Bombs are falling without stopping, while hospitals are overflowing with mass casualties." He described what is happening in the Strip as "an endless cycle of blood, pain, and death. Gaza is a death trap." Whittall spoke via video link from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza to reporters at UN headquarters in New York.