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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider UN chief to Security Council: Avert 'humanitarian catastrophe'; halt Israel-Hamas conflict

UN chief to Security Council: Avert 'humanitarian catastrophe'; halt Israel-Hamas conflict

Published Dec 7, 2023 01:41 am

UN chief Antonio Guterres has raised to the UN Security Council the worsening situation in Gaza, invoking for the first time the Article 99 of the UN Charter as he believed that the developments in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war are already threatening international peace.

Guterres early Thursday morning (Manila time) told Jose Javier de la Gasca Lopez Dominguez, President of the Security Council, that he is pressing other members of the council to "avert a humanitarian catastrophe" as he said "the international community has a responsibility to use all its influence to prevent further escalation and end this crisis."

In a letter to Dominguez, Guterres said he is reiterating his appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared, and that must be done in an urgent manner.

"The civilian population must be spared from greater harm. With a humanitarian ceasefire, the means of survival can be restored, and humanitarian assistance can be delivered in a safe and timely manner across the Gaza Strip," he said.

Guterres invoked for the first time in his tenure UN Charter's Article 99, which allowed him to "bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security."

He made the move as he said in his letter that the more than eight weeks of hostilities in Gaza and Israel "have created appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma" on both sides.

He also cited the thousands of people who were killed and wounded, and those who were taken hostage.

Guterres also said that around a million people are now seeking refuge in United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities across Gaza, creating overcrowded and undignified conditions there.

"There is no effective protection of civilians. The health care system in Gaza is collapsing," he said, stressing that hospitals have already even "turned into battlegrounds."

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is supporting Guterres' letter as he said Gaza's health system is "on its knees and near total collapse." He added that the world needs peace for health.

"Nowhere is safe in Gaza," Guterres said.

Guterres said he is expecting that the public order would "completely break down soon" due to the desperate conditions amid Israel's continued bombardment of Gaza.

He also warned of epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement that could happen because of it.

"We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region," Guterres said.

"Such an outcome must be avoided at all cost," he added.

Related Tags

UN Charter ANTONIO GUTERRES UN Security Council Israel-Hamas war
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