Gazans 'enduring destruction at a scale without parallel in recent history': UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday the destruction the people in Gaza have been enduring is on a scale not known in "recent history."

Guterres said at a UN Security Council session on the situation in Gaza that the last 100 days have been "heartbreaking and catastrophic" for civilians in Gaza.

"The entire population of Gaza is enduring destruction at a scale and speed without parallel in recent history. Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," said Guterres.

The UN chief called the humanitarian situation in Gaza "appalling."

"Everyone in Gaza is hungry, with a quarter of Gaza's population, more than half a million people, grappling with catastrophic levels of food insecurity," he said.

- Diseases

Guterres said nearly 1.5 million people are crammed inside the Rafah governorate.

"Disease is spreading as the health system collapses. Only 16 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are even partly functional," said Guterres. "That means the people of Gaza not only risk being killed or injured by relentless bombardments; they also run a growing chance of contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis A, dysentery, cholera."

He also said more crossing points into Gaza are needed to reduce congestion and avoid chokepoints.

"I call for rapid, safe, unhindered, expanded and sustained humanitarian access throughout Gaza," he said.

Israel has mounted a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed 1,200 people.

At least 25,490 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 63,354 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

X
Sitelerimizde reklam ve pazarlama faaliyetlerinin yürütülmesi amaçları ile çerezler kullanılmaktadır.

Bu çerezler, kullanıcıların tarayıcı ve cihazlarını tanımlayarak çalışır.

İnternet sitemizin düzgün çalışması, kişiselleştirilmiş reklam deneyimi, internet sitemizi optimize edebilmemiz, ziyaret tercihlerinizi hatırlayabilmemiz için veri politikasındaki amaçlarla sınırlı ve mevzuata uygun şekilde çerez konumlandırmaktayız.

Bu çerezlere izin vermeniz halinde sizlere özel kişiselleştirilmiş reklamlar sunabilir, sayfalarımızda sizlere daha iyi reklam deneyimi yaşatabiliriz. Bunu yaparken amacımızın size daha iyi reklam bir deneyimi sunmak olduğunu ve sizlere en iyi içerikleri sunabilmek adına elimizden gelen çabayı gösterdiğimizi ve bu noktada, reklamların maliyetlerimizi karşılamak noktasında tek gelir kalemimiz olduğunu sizlere hatırlatmak isteriz.