ADDS MORE FROM UN CHIEF GUTERRES
By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern Tuesday for the escalating humanitarian and political crises in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon as he condemned violations of international law.
"The nightmare in Gaza is now entering an atrocious, abominable second year. This has been a year of crises. Humanitarian crisis. Political crisis. Diplomatic crisis. And a moral crisis," Guterres said at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.
The Gaza Strip "has become ground zero to a level of human suffering that is hard to fathom," he said and noted that more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority of them women and children, with thousands more missing and believed to be trapped under the rubble.
"I strongly condemn all violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza," he said.
Highlighting the worsening situation for humanitarian workers and journalists, Guterres noted that "journalists have been killed at a level unseen in any conflict in modern times. And humanitarians -- those who have dedicated their lives to helping others -- are facing unprecedented, epic dangers. "
Guterres stressed the indispensable role of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, while warning about the potential consequences of an Israeli draft legislation to restrict the agency’s operations.
The UN chief announced that he has sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to express profound concern about draft legislation that could prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."
The measure would suffocate efforts to ease human suffering and tensions in Gaza, and indeed, the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory. It would be a catastrophe in what is already an unmitigated disaster," he said.
Last week, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) advanced a bill to revoke the immunity and privileges afforded to UNRWA, in a move seen by Palestinians and the UN as part of an Israeli campaign to dismantle the UN agency and resolve the refugee issue.
Guterres also condemned Israel's intensified military operations in northern Gaza, where residential areas and hospitals have been targeted, forcing 400,000 residents to relocate again to overcrowded, unsanitary conditions in the south.
"Ordering civilians to evacuate does not keep them safe if they have no safe place to go and no shelter, food, medicine or water," he said, adding that nowhere in Gaza is safe.
The Secretary-General also warned about an escalating conflict in Lebanon that threatens to engulf the region.
"We are on the verge of an all-out war in Lebanon --- with already devastating consequences," he said, citing large-scale Israeli strikes that have killed more than 2,000 victims in Lebanon, and displaced over 1 million.
Guterres also stressed that "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected."
Reiterating calls for peace, the UN chief said, "The conflict in the Middle East is getting worse by the hour and our warnings about the horrific impacts of escalation keep coming to pass."
"Every air strike, every missile launch, every rocket fired, pushes peace further out of reach and makes the suffering even worse for the millions of civilians caught in the middle," he added
The secretary-general concluded by calling for an immediate cease-fire and renewed efforts toward a two-state solution.
"All people in the region deserve to live in peace," he said.