Israel’s assaults in Gaza since Oct. 7 are unparalleled and unprecedented, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated Monday.
“What is clear is that we have had in a few weeks thousands of children killed, so this is what matters,” Antonio Guterres stated in New York whereas presenting a brand new U.N. environmental report. “We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I am secretary general.”
It is vital to rework the tragedy into a possibility, Guterres stated, including: “It is essential that after the war we move in a determined, and reversible way to a two-state solution.”
He additionally stated he has been “very clear” in denouncing violations of worldwide humanitarian regulation and violations of the safety of civilians.
Asked why he has not referred to as Israeli assaults “war crimes,” Guterres stated he didn’t have a “mandate” to take action.
The Gaza Strip has been beneath heavy bombardment for the reason that Palestinian group Hamas launched a shock offensive towards Israel on Oct. 7.
Since Israel started its assaults on Oct. 7, no less than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, together with over 9,000 ladies and youngsters, and over 30,000 others have been injured, in line with the most recent figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Thousands of buildings, together with hospitals, mosques, and church buildings, have additionally been broken or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and floor assaults on the besieged enclave.
An Israeli blockade has additionally minimize Gaza off from gasoline, electrical energy, and water provides, and diminished support deliveries to a small trickle.
The Israeli loss of life toll, in the meantime, is round 1,200, based mostly on official figures.
Meanwhile, Guterres additionally stated a U.N. protectorate in Gaza wouldn’t clear up the battle there, calling as a substitute for a “transition period” involving Arab nations and the United States and resulting in a two-state answer.
Guterres stated it was “important to be able to transform this tragedy into an opportunity” – which, for him, meant transferring “in a determined and irreversible way to a two-state solution.”
This means, after the present conflict between Israel and Hamas fighters in Gaza ends, “a strengthened Palestinian Authority, assuming responsibilities in Gaza,” he stated.
But the Palestinian Authority can’t go into Gaza backed by Israeli tanks, he added — that means the “international community needs to look into a transition period.”
“I do not think that a UN protectorate in Gaza is a solution,” nevertheless, Guterres stated.
Instead, he referred to as for a “multi-stakeholder approach” that might see the U.S. act because the “main guarantor” of Israel’s safety, whereas Arab nations are “essential” to assist Palestinians.
“Everybody needs to come together to create the conditions for the transition, allowing for a strengthened Palestinian Authority to assume responsibilities in Gaza,” and from there to a two-state answer, he stated.
Guterres additionally once more denounced the killing of civilians – particularly kids – in Gaza as Israel wages a relentless air and floor marketing campaign in retaliation for the October 7 assaults by Hamas.
For seven years now he has printed a “list of shame” of events to armed battle who commit grave violations towards kids. Israel’s absence from the listing has beforehand been criticized by human rights organizations.
Without saying whether or not which will change this 12 months, Guterres put the variety of kids killed in Gaza into stark context.
In the “shame” experiences, the best variety of kids killed in a single 12 months by one actor was the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2017-2018, adopted by the Syrian authorities and its allies earlier than 2020. Both instances the tally was within the tons of.
“Without entering into discussing the accuracy of the numbers that were published by de facto authorities in Gaza, what is clear is that we have had in a few weeks thousands of children killed,” Guterres informed reporters.
“We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I am Secretary-General.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com