Secretary-General's press encounter on the situation in Gaza

Tomorrow, I head to Sevilla for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development which we are co-hosting with Spain. 

Before I leave, I wanted to say a few words about the situation in Gaza.

The conflict between Israel and Iran has dominated headlines.

But we cannot allow the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to be pushed into the shadows.

The ceasefire achieved between Iran and Israel offers hope.

And hope is more needed than ever.

So it is time to find the political courage for a ceasefire in Gaza. 

Following the terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October -- which I have unequivocally condemned -- Israeli military operations have created a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions – more dire today than at any point in this long and brutal crisis.

Families have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land.

And even these shrinking spaces are under threat.

Bombs are falling -- on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.

People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families.

The search for food must never be a death sentence.

Let me be clear: Israel, as the occupying Power, is required by international law, to agree to and to facilitate humanitarian relief. 

Meanwhile, humanitarian operations continue to be strangled.

For over three months, shelter materials and fuel for critical services have been blocked.

Doctors are forced to choose who gets the last vial of medicine, or the last ventilator.

Aid workers themselves are starving.

This cannot be normalized.

A handful of medical supplies finally crossed into Gaza earlier this week -- the first from the UN in months.

But this only underscores the vast scale of the crisis. A trickle of aid is not enough.

What’s needed now is a surge — the trickle must become an ocean.

We need concrete actions so aid can reach all people -- swiftly, at scale, wherever they are.

Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently unsafe.

It is killing people.

It is time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

And full, safe and sustained humanitarian access.

The problem of the distribution of humanitarian aid must be solved.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel with dangerous schemes.

We have the solution – a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.

We have the supplies.

We have the experience.

Our plan is guided by what people need. 

It is built on the trust of communities, donors and Member States.

And it worked during the last ceasefire.

It must be allowed to work again.

To those in power, I say: enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. 

To those with influence, I say: use it.

To all Member States, I say:  uphold the UN Charter you recommitted to just yesterday for the 80^th anniversary.

Let us bring in the life-saving supplies. 

Let us reach people where they are. 

And let us recognize that the solution to this problem is ultimately political. 

The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-State solution.

Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail.

Thank you.