'Last lifelines' are collapsing in Gaza, says the head of the UN
In a strongly worded statement, António Guterres condemned the 'accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions' in Gaza and the repeated killing of people trying to get aid.
At least 67 people waiting for UN aid lorries in Gaza were killed by the Israeli military on Sunday. Hundreds of people have been killed and injured by Israel as they tried to access aid in recent weeks.
'Civilians must be protected and respected, and they must never be targeted,' Guterres said. 'The population in Gaza remains gravely undersupplied with the basic necessities of life.'
He noted that Israel has an 'obligation' to allow humanitarian relief to be given to people who are suffering – and that the current system is being 'undermined'.
It came hours after 25 countries,
including Ireland
, called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, saying the suffering of civilians 'has reached new depths'.
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The letter was signed by the foreign ministers of more than two dozen countries, including Israeli allies Britain, France, Australia and Canada, in the face of catastrophic humanitarian conditions for more than two million people in Gaza.
Israel rejected the letter, describing it as being 'disconnected from reality'.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the statement, saying an international pressure should be on Hamas, while US ambassador Mike Huckabee called the joint letter 'disgusting'.
Separately, the World Health Organisation has said that its facilities in Gaza have come under attack, as it echoed calls for an immediate ceasefire.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Israeli military had entered the UN agency's staff residence, forced women and children to evacuate on foot, and handcuffed, stripped and interrogated male staff at gunpoint.
'A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is overdue,' he said on X.
With reporting by AFP
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