UN chief says all routes into Gaza must be open

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for opening all available routes into Gaza to let humanitarian aid through to the hapless people trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Israel has been engaged in an atrocious genocidal campaign against the defenseless Palestinian people in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Speaking on Tuesday at an emergency aid summit in Jordan, Guterres and several regional leaders discussed urgent humanitarian response for Palestinians enduring Israel’s savagery, calling on the regime to end the brutal siege and stop starving the people of Gaza by blocking access to food and water.

Guterres said “the horror must stop.”

“It’s high time for a ceasefire.”

All obstacles for the immediate, sustainable and adequate access to humanitarian and relief aid to Gaza from all border crossings must be removed to allow the necessary conditions for the delivery and distribution of aid to all areas, he said.

He described the Israeli-imposed situation in the Gaza Strip as “deplorable.”

“The speed and scale of the carnage and killing in Gaza is beyond anything in my years as secretary-general.”

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Guterres said since the complete closure of border crossings, the flow of “critical humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, which was already woefully inadequate, has plummeted by two-thirds.”

The secretary-general urged all parties to reach an agreement on the latest ceasefire plan proposed by US President Joe Biden.

“I welcome the peace initiative recently outlined by President Biden and urge all parties to seize this opportunity and come to an agreement,” he said.

Guterres has also called on parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in the meantime.

“This includes facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid both into and inside Gaza as they have committed. All available routes into Gaza must be operational and the land routes are absolutely crucial.”

Guterres called for protection of UNRWA workers who “need unimpeded access.”

“Civilians must be allowed to seek safety and civilians and the infrastructure they rely on must never be militarized or targeted.”

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination Martin Griffiths described the condition in Gaza as a “stain on our humanity” and appealed for $2.5 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of Gazans from April until December.

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In regard to the necessity of pressuring Israel to open the border crossings to allow humanitarian aid through, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has said it was the duty of the United Nations Security Council and the international community to force the regime to secure all land crossings.

“The responsibility of the Security Council, and all parties of the international community, remains great in putting pressure on Israel in order to open all land crossings into the Gaza Strip and hand them over to the new government to let all relief and medical supplies in.”

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was "manufactured" by the Israeli regime.

Israel, which has stopped food, water, medicine and fuel from reaching Gaza, is using starvation as a weapon of war, Sisi stated.

Jordan held the emergency aid summit entitled, “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza,” in Sweimeh on the shores of the Dead Sea for urgent talks as aid groups warn conditions are worse than ever in Gaza.

Israel has killed over 37,100 people in the Palestinian territory since October, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

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