Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Gaza: Philippe Lazarini, the chief of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said on Sunday that his agency was on the verge of collapsing in the Palestinian enclave, adding that an immediate cease-fire was needed to end "hell on earth" there.
Lazarini said the "dehumanisation" of Palestinians had allowed the international community to tolerate the continued Israeli attacks in Gaza.
The agency chief said the situation in Gaza now was "by any description" the worst that he had ever seen.
He urged all UN member states to "take immediate actions to implement an immediate humanitarian cease-fire."
Lazzarini said on Friday that "calling for an end to the decimation of the lives of Palestinians in Gaza is not a denial of the abhorrent attacks" on Israel carried about by the Hamas on October 7.
UN chief says Security Council is 'paralysed'
The head of the United Nations said the Security Council has been paralyzed by its failure to agree on the necessity for a cease-fire in Gaza.
The body's "authority and credibility were severely undermined" by its delayed response to the conflict, which began on October 7.
The comments from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres came two days after a US veto that blocked a resolution calling for a cease-fire.
He said the council was "paralyzed by geostrategic divisions."
"I reiterated my appeal for a humanitarian cease-fire to be declared," Guterres told the forum. "Regrettably, the Security Council failed to do it."
"I can promise I will not give up," he added.
Israel bombarded targets in Gaza after two months of fighting in the narrow Palestinian enclave.
At least 17,490 people, mostly women and children, have died in two months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Qatar says hostage hopes still high
Efforts to reach a deal to agree on a Gaza cease-fire and release more hostages held by Hamas are continuing, Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said on Sunday.
This comes despite Israeli bombardment bombardment of the territory, which is "narrowing the window" for a successful outcome, he said.
"Our efforts as the state of Qatar, along with our partners, are continuing. We are not going to give up," Al Thani told the Doha Forum, adding that "the continuation of the bombardment is just narrowing this window for us."
