NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said that forcing more than 1 million Palestinians through a besieged war zone is simply not possible and extremely dangerous adding that even wars have rules.
However, he did not ask Israel to halt its assault on Gaza.
Aid agencies have asked Israel to withdraw its ultimatum to the 1.2 million people of Gaza forcing them to evacuate northern area to the south of the territory within 24 hours.
They also condemned the act of Israel as the collective punishment of civilians, including women and children.
UN experts denounce evacuation order
UN experts also denounced the evacuation order. Paula Gaviria Betancur, a UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, said forced population transfer amounts to a crime against humanity adding that collective punishment is barred under international humanitarian law.
Guterres asked for immediate humanitarian access to all of Gaza so that the food, water and fuel can be reached to the needy.
Our @UN staff & our partners are working around the clock to support the people of Gaza.
We need immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza, so that we can get fuel, food and water to everyone in need.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 14, 2023
He said that even wars have rules. He asked all those involved in the conflict to respect the principles of international humanitarian law.
The World Health Organization has already called for a corridor so that hospitals cannot run out of fuel and electricity.
Gaza’s power plant has run out of fuel while a severe shortage of drinking water is affecting more than 650,000 people of Gaza.
The ongoing Israeli military’s airstrikes have taken a devastating toll, with nearly 1,800 Gaza residents martyred, including over 580 children, in waves of missile strikes on the densely populated enclave. Tensions have escalated across the Middle East, triggering protests in support of the Palestinians.
