Guterres denounces "clear" violations of International Law in Gaza: "Even war has rules"

MADRID, 24 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has warned that "the war in Gaza is intensifying" and can spread throughout the region, which is why he has appealed for restraint from all parties and respect for the civilian population. , taking into account that "clear" violations of International Law are occurring and that "even war has rules."

Guterres gave a speech at the beginning of a meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East to demonstrate his concern "at a crucial moment", condemning on the one hand the murder of civilians perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and demanding the release "immediate" release of the hostages and, on the other hand, recognizing that the toll of victims left by Israel in its counteroffensive on the Strip is "deeply alarming."

"I will be clear: no party in an armed conflict is above International Humanitarian Law," emphasized the head of the UN, "deeply concerned" by the information coming from the Middle East. Thus, he recalled that "protecting civilians" means "not using them as human shields" but also not ordering more than a million people to evacuate the northern area of ​​Gaza without any resources for days later "to also bomb the south" of said.

Guterres has taken the opportunity to allude to the roots of the conflict, pointing out for example that the "horrible" attacks by Hamas "did not come out of nowhere", since "the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation", in a context in which that "their hopes of achieving a political solution are fading.

These "grievances", he added, cannot in any way "justify" the actions of Hamas, but these attacks should not serve as an excuse to undertake a "collective punishment" on all the inhabitants of the Strip. In this sense, he recalled that the UN facilities in Gaza house more than 600,000 displaced people and 35 from the agency for refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict.

On the issue of aid, he expressed relief at the arrival of the first convoys, but acknowledged that "it is a drop in an ocean of need." Guterres has called to avoid "another disaster" if fuel runs out in the Strip -- "it is a matter of days," he noted -- and has advocated for a "continuous" aid supply that responds to the "enormous" shortfalls. .

"Even in these moments of grave and immediate danger, we cannot lose sight of the only realistic basis for genuine peace and stability: the two-state solution. Israelis must feel that their legitimate security needs are being realized, and Palestinians who their legitimate aspirations for an independent State are fulfilled," he added.