Guterres warns crimes in Gaza amount to 'gravest international crimes'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Dec 2024 21:39

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describes Gaza's child amputee crisis and dire humanitarian situation, calling for urgent international action and criticizing aid restrictions, blaming the blockade on political will rather than logistics.

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Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, speaks during a news conference at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 21, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP)

"Gaza now has the highest number of children amputees per capita anywhere in the world — many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anesthesia," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remarked while speaking at a Cairo conference aimed at accelerating humanitarian aid to Palestinian enclave, the Gaza Strip.

Describing the situation in Gaza as "appalling and apocalyptic," Guterres warned that the conditions faced by Palestinians could amount to "the gravest international crimes." He emphasized the urgent need for action, noting, "Malnutrition is rampant... Famine is imminent. Meanwhile, the health system has collapsed."

The UN chief also criticized the severe restrictions on aid delivery, calling the current levels "grossly insufficient."

According to UNRWA, only 65 aid trucks entered Gaza daily last month, compared to a pre-war average of 500.

International aid organizations have raised alarms about the worsening conditions in Gaza, with civilians on the brink of famine. While "Israel" has blamed aid issues on the inability of organizations to handle and distribute aid, Guterres stated that the blockade of aid to Gaza "is not a crisis of logistics" but rather "a crisis of political will and of respect for fundamental principles of international humanitarian law."

UNRWA reported that all attempts to deliver aid to northern Gaza between October 6 and November 25 were "denied" or "impeded" due to the ongoing Israeli war on the Strip. Guterres called UNRWA an "irreplaceable lifeline for millions of Palestinians," adding, "if UNRWA is forced to close, the responsibility of replacing its vital services ... would rest with Israel."

Day 423 of Israeli war on Gaza: 44,466 dead, 105,358 injured

The Israeli occupation forces persist in their genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip on the 423rd consecutive day. Ongoing aerial bombardments, devastating massacres of displaced civilians, and the widespread and systematic destruction of homes and entire neighborhoods mark this genocidal campaign. Meanwhile, a suffocating siege continues to be enforced, blocking the entry of essential food and medical supplies, exacerbating the suffering of the population.

The occupation forces intensified their artillery and aerial bombardment since Monday morning, especially in the north of Nuseirat Camp in the central governorate, where the area is witnessing extensive house demolition.

This morning, a Palestinian was killed by the gunfire of Israeli occupation soldiers near the village of al-Masdar in the central Gaza Strip. In a separate incident, several others were injured when the occupation forces bombed a house in the Bureij refugee camp, also located in central Gaza.

In the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli occupation artillery continued to bombard residential neighborhoods, targeting the Saftawi area north of Gaza City. The shelling destroyed more homes and buildings, particularly in the Jabalia refugee camp and the town of Beit Lahia. This escalation comes amid nearly two months of ongoing genocide, as the occupation forces intensify their brutal campaign against the civilian population in the region.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that several martyrs and wounded were the victims of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the vicinity of al-Omari Mosque in Jabalia al-Balad, located in the northern Gaza Strip. The attack added to the mounting toll of casualties in the region, already devastated by ongoing bombardments.

Injuries were recorded as a result of an Israeli drone attack on a school housing displaced people in Jabalia al-Nazla, in the north. Additionally, six Palestinians were injured in an airstrike that targeted Saadallah Street in the al-Nazla neighborhood, also in Jabalia.

Simultaneously, Israeli occupation aircraft targeted a residential building in the Beit Lahia project, located in the northern Gaza Strip. The bombing further exacerbated the destruction of civilian infrastructure in the region, contributing to the widespread suffering of the population.