UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the international community to continue pushing for a full ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza.
He made this call during a session of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on Friday, February 7, which met to elect a new bureau and adopt a work program for the year.
The UN chief spoke in response to comments made by United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday night at the White House, where he suggested that the U.S. could “take over” the Gaza Strip, calling on Palestinians living there to leave.
Addressing Committee members, the Secretary-General stated that “at its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to live as human beings in their land simply.”
He noted, however, that “we have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach,” as well as “a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people.”
He emphasized that “of course, nothing justifies the horrific Hamas attacks of October 7” or “what we have seen unfold in Gaza over these last many months.”
Guterres pointed to “the catalogue of destruction and unspeakable horrors,” with nearly 50,000 people reportedly killed, mainly women and children, and most of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza destroyed.
Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of the population has faced repeated displacement, hunger, and disease, while children have been out of school for over a year – “a generation left homeless and traumatized.”
The Secretary-General welcomed the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, announced in January. He thanked mediators Egypt, Qatar, and the United States for their continued efforts to ensure its implementation.
“Now it is time to be crystal clear about objectives going forward.
“First, we must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay. We cannot go back to more death and destruction,” he said.
