Guterres in Rafah: 'Nothing can justify collective punishment' of Gaza
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The UN Secretary General paid a visit at the Rafah crossing where he reiterated the call for an urgent ceasefire.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visits the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Saturday, March 23, 2024 (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday announced that he had toured the Rafah border crossing separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
"This Ramadan, I have come to the Rafah crossing to spotlight the hardship and pain of Palestinians in Gaza – and the obstacles to easing their plight," Guterres said in a statement published by his office.
He added that nothing could justify the "collective punishment of the Palestinian people."
"Now more than ever, it is time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire," Guterres said.
Read more: Gaza's 'shadow death toll': Buried, missing, trapped under the rubble
On Friday, the UN Security Council voted to reject a US-drafted resolution on Gaza.
The US revised resolution called for increased humanitarian aid in Gaza and "rejects any forced displacement of the civilian population in Gaza," but failed to include a permanent ceasefire.
It called for a ceasefire that "should lay the foundation for a sustainable ceasefire," once again "reiterating the vision of the two-state solution, with the Gaza Strip as part of the Palestinian State."
It also labeled the Resistance movement a "terrorist organization" and claimed it did not represent the people of Palestine.
Those who vetoed the resolution included China, Russia, and the rotating member Algeria. The vetoes were issued on the basis that the ceasefire call was deemed ineffective.
Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun said that the call was laying preconditions for a ceasefire that will enable the continuation of the Gaza genocide.
Russia's envoy Vassily Nebenzia labelled the US resolution a "standard American deception" and said that Russia does not tolerate ceasefire calls that lead to nowhere.
"The purpose of the American decision is to buy time and its goal is politicized so that Israel can escape punishment," Nebenzia said.
Algeria's representative, on his part, lamented the rejection of a previous Algerian-drafted resolution.
Had the Council adopted Algeria's resolution in late February, it could have prevented the loss of thousands of innocent lives, Algeria's UN representative Amar Benjama said.
Read more: US ruined its reputation through Gaza genocide: Marandi
A new vote was scheduled to be held this morning, however, the session got postponed to March 25, diplomatic sources informed AFP.
