UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a paradigm shift in Israel’s military strategy in Gaza and in aid delivery to save lives.
Following this week’s appalling killing of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, the Israeli government has acknowledged mistakes and announced some disciplinary measures, Guterres said on Friday. “But the essential problem is not who made the mistakes, it is the military strategy and procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again.”
Fixing those failures requires independent investigations and meaningful and measurable change on the ground, he said at a press encounter as the Gaza conflict is about to become six months old.
In its speed, scale and inhumane ferocity, the war in Gaza is the deadliest of conflicts — for civilians, for aid workers, for journalists, for health workers, and for UN staff. Some 196 humanitarian aid workers, including more than 175 UN staff members, have been killed, Guterres was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.
An information war has added to the trauma, obscuring facts and shifting blame. Denying international journalists entry into Gaza is allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish, he said.
Guterres demanded an investigation into those killings, noting that investigation can only work with the cooperation of the Israeli authorities.
“One hundred and ninety-six humanitarian workers have been killed, and we want to know why each one of them was killed,” he said.
In the aftermath of the killing of World Central Kitchen staff, the United Nations was informed by the Israeli government of its intention to allow a substantial increase in humanitarian aid distributed in Gaza, said Guterres. “I sincerely hope that these intentions are effectively and quickly materialized because the situation in Gaza is absolutely desperate.”
Dramatic humanitarian conditions require a quantum leap in the delivery of life-saving aid — a true paradigm shift, he said.
Guterres repeated his urgent appeals for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire, the unconditional release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.
Last week, the Security Council called for just that in its Resolution 2728. In December, the council demanded, in another resolution, accelerating the delivery of life-saving aid under a UN mechanism. All those demands must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable, he said.
“Six months on, we are at the brink of mass starvation, of regional conflagration, of a total loss of faith in global standards and norms. It’s time to step back from that brink, to silence the guns, to ease the horrible suffering, and to stop a potential famine before it is too late,” said Guterres.