UN Secretary-General António Guterres did not hold back when he criticized the international community for a lack of compassion and indifference towards Gaza.
"I cannot explain the level of indifference and paralysis we see in far too many in the global community - the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of action," Guterres said via video link to Amnesty International's annual meeting on Friday.
"This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience. We will continue to talk about this at every opportunity," Guterres continued.
– There is no excuse
Aid groups have warned of rising hunger, especially among children, in the war-torn Gaza Strip, where Israel blocked access to aid in March. Two months later, the blockade was partially lifted.
What little aid has come through since then has been controlled by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by the US and Israel. The established UN-led system for distributing aid has been sidelined.
International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric said on Friday that there is no excuse for what is happening in Gaza.
“The extent of human suffering and the removal of human dignity surpasses any acceptable standard – both legally and morally,” she says.
– We need action
Guterres says that while he has repeatedly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip, nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since then.
– The scale surpasses anything we have seen recently. Children talk about wanting to go to heaven, because at least there is food there. We have video meetings with our own aid workers, who are starving before our eyes... But words cannot feed the hungry, children, says the UN chief, who also condemns the killings of over 1,000 Palestinians while they were trying to get food.
– We need action: an immediate and permanent ceasefire, immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate and unhindered humanitarian access.
