{"id":310808,"date":"2025-08-28T15:51:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T19:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&#038;p=310808"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:52:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T19:52:25","slug":"gaza-another-deadly-escalation-press-remarks-by-antonio-guterres-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations-on-the-situation-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/gaza-another-deadly-escalation-press-remarks-by-antonio-guterres-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations-on-the-situation-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza: Another deadly escalation &#8211; Press remarks by Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the situation in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>28 August 2025<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"Gaza: Another Deadly Escalation - Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Chief Stakeout | United Nations\" width=\"1320\" height=\"743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nndeIh3NWj0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dear Members of the media,<\/p>\n<p>I am about to brief the Security Council on Haiti.<\/p>\n<p>The humanitarian situation is appalling, but there are faint glimmers of hope.<\/p>\n<p>I will urge the Security Council and the international community to step up for the people of Haiti at this pivotal time.<\/p>\n<p>I also want to say a word about the unfolding tragedy that is Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>Unbelievably, civilians are facing yet another deadly escalation.<\/p>\n<p>Israel\u2019s initial steps to militarily take over Gaza City signals a new and dangerous phase.<\/p>\n<p>Expanded military operations in Gaza City will have devastating consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of thousands of civilians &#8212; already exhausted and traumatized &#8212; would be forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril.<\/p>\n<p>This must stop.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, we have seen yet more unconscionable Israeli strikes \u2013 including earlier this week at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.<\/p>\n<p>One attack was followed by another \u2013 killing civilians, including medical personnel and journalists who were carrying out their essential work.<\/p>\n<p>All with the world watching.<\/p>\n<p>I know so many of the reporters here \u2013 along with us \u2013 have lost dear colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>These attacks are part of an endless catalogue of horrors.<\/p>\n<p>There must be accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies, and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law.<\/p>\n<p>Hostages taken by Hamas and other groups must be released and the atrocious treatment they have been forced to endure must stop.<\/p>\n<p>Civilians must be protected.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s be clear: The levels of death and destruction in Gaza are without parallel in recent times.<\/p>\n<p>Famine is no longer a looming possibility &#8212; it is a present-day catastrophe.<\/p>\n<p>People are dying from hunger. Families are being torn apart by displacement and despair. Pregnant women are facing unimaginable risks.<\/p>\n<p>And the systems that sustain life &#8212; food, water, healthcare \u2013 have been systematically dismantled.<\/p>\n<p>These are the facts on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>And they are the result of deliberate decisions that defy basic humanity.<\/p>\n<p>Israel, as the occupying Power, has clear obligations.<\/p>\n<p>It must ensure the provision of food, water, medicine, and other essentials.<\/p>\n<p>It must agree to and facilitate far greater humanitarian access.<\/p>\n<p>It must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>And it must end the destruction of that which is indispensable for the survival of the civilian population.<\/p>\n<p>The International Court of Justice has given binding provisional measures.<\/p>\n<p>These include the obligation to take all steps to ensure unfettered humanitarian and medical assistance to Palestinians throughout Gaza &#8212; without delay and in full cooperation with the United Nations.<\/p>\n<p>These measures must be implemented &#8212; fully and immediately.<\/p>\n<p>The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and our partners are doing all we can, often at great personal risk. Indeed, 366 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ personnel have tragically been killed.<\/p>\n<p>Day after day, our efforts are being blocked, delayed, and denied.<\/p>\n<p>This is unacceptable.<\/p>\n<p>In the West Bank, the situation is also profoundly alarming.<\/p>\n<p>Military operations, settler violence, demolitions, and discriminatory policies are driving displacement and deepening vulnerability.<\/p>\n<p>The relentless expansion of settlements is fracturing communities and cutting off access to vital resources.<\/p>\n<p>The recent approval of a plan for the construction of thousands of settlements in the E1 area would effectively separate the northern and southern West Bank \u2013 an existential threat to the two-state solution.<\/p>\n<p>I repeat: the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been established \u2013 and are being maintained &#8212; in violation of international law.<\/p>\n<p>Israel must cease such actions and comply with its obligations.<\/p>\n<p>There is no military solution to the conflict.<\/p>\n<p>I appeal once again for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access across Gaza, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.<\/p>\n<p>Starvation of the civilian population must never be used as a method of warfare.<\/p>\n<p>Civilians must be protected.<\/p>\n<p>Humanitarian access must be unimpeded.<\/p>\n<p>No more excuses. No more obstacles. No more lies.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; 28 August 2025 &nbsp; Dear Members of the media, I am about to brief the Security Council on Haiti. The humanitarian situation is appalling, but there are faint glimmers of hope. I will urge the Security Council and the international community to step up for the people of Haiti at this pivotal time. I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/gaza-another-deadly-escalation-press-remarks-by-antonio-guterres-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations-on-the-situation-in-gaza\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2565,1699,6962,1338],"document-source":[5352],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,1829,2265,5358,2005,6848,1741,5200,6870,6879,6845,6251],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-310808","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-briefing","document-category-press-conference","document-category-press-statement","document-category-statement","document-source-secretary-general","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-ClosuresCurfewsBlockades","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-hostages","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","document-subject-hunger","document-subject-israeli-settlements","document-subject-protection-of-civilians","document-subject-west-bank","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/310808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/310808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":310811,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/310808\/revisions\/310811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=310808"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=310808"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=310808"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=310808"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=310808"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=310808"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=310808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}