UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, citing clear violations of international law by Israel in response to Hamas attacks.
In his address at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the conflict in the Middle East, Guterres said: "I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza. Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law."
He also said that Hamas attacks "did not happen in a vacuum" as the Palestinians have been "subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation."
Nearly, 5,700 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in retaliatory Israeli bombardments, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The U.N. relief agency UNRWA said: "Hospitals are on their last drops of fuel and some have shut down. Sources of food are quickly running out, and people have resorted to unsafe drinking water.
U.N. shelters are also completely overrun, with some holding 10 or 12 times as many people as intended, and can “no longer provide dignified living conditions."
It noted: "If fuel isn’t allowed into Gaza soon, the UNRWA said it would be forced to reduce or stop humanitarian operations."
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