United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called on the international community to sustain efforts toward securing a permanent ceasefire and ensuring the release of all hostages in Gaza.
Guterres made the appeal during a session of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, where members elected a new bureau and adopted their programme of work for the year.
The session followed remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, where he suggested that the U.S. could “take over” Gaza and advised residents to leave the territory.
Addressing Committee members, the UN chief emphasized that “at its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land.”
He acknowledged that these rights have increasingly slipped away, lamenting “a chilling, systematic dehumanisation and demonization of an entire people.”
“Of course, nothing justifies the horrific Hamas attacks of October 7,” Guterres stated, “or what we have seen unfold in Gaza over these last many months.” He described the aftermath as “a catalogue of destruction and unspeakable horrors,” with nearly 50,000 deaths reported, primarily women and children, and extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure.
He further highlighted the dire situation in Gaza, noting the repeated displacement of its residents, widespread hunger and disease, and the prolonged absence of education for children.
The Secretary-General welcomed the recently announced ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas, expressing gratitude to Egypt, Qatar, and the United States for mediating the deal.
“Now it is time to be crystal clear about objectives going forward,” Guterres urged. “First, we must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay. We cannot go back to more death and destruction.”
He stressed the importance of expanding humanitarian access in Gaza, calling for unimpeded, sustained relief efforts.
He also appealed to Member States and donors to provide full funding for humanitarian operations and support the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA).
“In the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse,” he warned. “It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”
The Secretary-General reaffirmed that a two-state solution is the only viable path to lasting peace.
“Any durable peace will require tangible, irreversible, and permanent progress toward the two-state solution, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part,” he said.
He expressed concern over escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, particularly attacks by Israeli settlers.
“The violence must stop,” he declared. “As affirmed by the International Court of Justice, Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territory must end.”
Guterres underscored the need to preserve the integrity and unity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, calling for strengthened Palestinian governance and urging support for the Palestinian Authority.
The session was chaired by Ambassador Coly Seck of Senegal, who described the ceasefire as a significant step forward but noted “worrisome statements” aimed at undermining peace efforts.
He called for innovative strategies to counter those who oppose peace in the region.
“We need to reinvent strategies to block the way for those enemies of peace on Palestinian ground that is so dear to us,” Seck said.
He condemned two recently enacted Israeli laws banning UNRWA operations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, urging the international community to resist these measures.
“Whilst firmly condemning these unilateral legal measures against the Palestinian people, I would call upon the international community to rise up against these measures, to defend this people long oppressed which has the right, as do all peoples of the world, to live in peace on the land of their ancestors,” he said.
Permanent Representative of the Observer State of Palestine, Ambassador Riyad Mansour, expressed appreciation for the ceasefire while emphasizing the need to make it permanent.
He called for the full implementation of the agreement, including rebuilding Gaza and facilitating the return of displaced people.
Mansour highlighted the importance of defending UNRWA, which he described as “the most successful story of multilateralism and the United Nations since its inception.”
He stressed the agency’s role in providing critical services to over five million Palestinian refugees across the region.
