United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the Gaza ceasefire to be made permanent, warning that Israelis and Palestinians continue to suffer the consequences of the conflict three years after the October 7 attacks.
In a statement ahead of the anniversary, Guterres condemned the killing of more than one-thousand 200 people in Israel and the taking of 251 hostages by Hamas.
He also highlighted the severe humanitarian toll of the war on Palestinians in Gaza. Guterres says the ceasefire has not delivered enough humanitarian aid, security, or a credible path to lasting peace.
Guterres said nothing could justify the atrocities committed by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on October 7, 2023, describing the killings, hostage-taking and abuse of captives as horrors that must never be repeated.
Three years later, he also pointed to Palestinian civilians in Gaza still enduring intolerable conditions after massive loss of life, displacement and destruction the death toll in excess of 74 000. Guterres has urged all parties to fully implement their ceasefire commitments and move to its next phase his message: make the ceasefire permanent, allow humanitarian assistance at scale, respect international law and create a political path towards lasting peace.
–ChannelAfrica/SherwinBrycePease–
