Gaza situation growing more desperate by the hour: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is in Nepal on an official visit, Sunday made another fervent appeal for the protection of all civilians in Gaza, where, he said, “the situation is growing more desperate by the hour.”

The UN chief’s visit comes as the crisis in the Gaza Strip enters its third week following the 7 October action by Hamas freedom fighters against Israeli border towns and Israel’s subsequent declaration of war. Ten Nepalese students were also killed in the attacks.

Late last week the UN adopted a Jordanian-led resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistan, calling for a “humanitarian truce,” but the past few days have seen escalation in Israel’s deadly bombing and reports of ground operations inside Gaza by Israel.

“I know that even though the conflict in the Middle East is thousands of miles away, it has hit very close to home for the people of Nepal,” said the UN chief at a press conference on Sunday alongside Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The secretary-general extended his condolences to the families of Nepalese victims, saying, “There is no justification, ever, for the killing, injuring and abduction of civilians.”

He also expressed best wishes for the safe return of Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese citizen who is missing, and vowed that he would continue to insist on the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages in Gaza.

At the same time, Guterres noted the extremely dire situation in Gaza and expressed regret that instead of a critically needed humanitarian pause supported by the international community, Israel has intensified its military operations.

“The number of civilians who have been killed and injured is unacceptable. All parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law … which emerged from the tragedy and awful experiences of war,” he continued.

Emphasizing his consistent calls for strict compliance with international humanitarian law, the Secretary-General stated: “The Laws of War establish clear rules to protect human life and respect humanitarian concerns. Those laws cannot be contorted for the sake of expedience.”