UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed deep sadness at his inability to end the war in Gaza, “or at least to create the conditions for people to respect international law and international humanitarian law.”
He told Arab News: “My worst frustration is to see suffering at such a large scale and to know that I haven’t the power to stop it. But it’s a reality: I haven’t the power to stop it.”
He added: “I can raise my voice, and I do it. I can sometimes convene, but people need to be willing to be convened.
“But the biggest frustration I have is not to have the power to end this conflict, or at least to create the conditions for people to respect international law and international humanitarian law.” Speaking at his annual press conference to highlight his agenda priorities for this year, Guterres warned that a “gigantic tragedy” could happen in Rafah if Israel follows through on its intent to expand its offensive into the southern town where over 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.
“Half of Gaza’s population is now crammed into Rafah. They have nowhere to go. They have no homes, and they have no hope,” he said, again calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages, and the need for “real, visible, concrete steps” towards a two-state solution.
He voiced his disagreement “with the policies of the government of Israel, with the settlements, and with a number of other initiatives that have undermined the two-state solution.
“And I’ve also expressed my opinion that the way the military operations have been conducted in Gaza has been with the absolutely unacceptable excess of people being killed, and the destruction.”—AN
