Current:Home > StocksUN chief warns that the risk of the Gaza war spreading is growing as situation becomes more dire-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
UN chief warns that the risk of the Gaza war spreading is growing as situation becomes more dire
View Date:2024-12-23 15:09:31
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief warned at a high-level U.N. meeting Tuesday that the situation in the Middle East is growing more dire by the hour with the risk of the Gaza war spreading through the region increasing as societies splinter and tensions threaten to boil over.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to deliver desperately needed food, water, medicine and fuel. He appealed “to all to pull back from the brink before the violence claims even more lives and spreads even farther.”
Guterres told the U.N. Security Council’s monthly meeting on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- which has turned into a major event with ministers from the war’s key parties and a dozen other countries flying to New York -– that the rules of war must be obeyed.
The secretary-general said the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify “the horrifying and unprecedented Oct. 7 acts of terror” by Hamas in Israel and demanded the immediate release of all hostages.
But Guterres also stressed that “those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
He expressed deep concern at “the clear violations of international humanitarian law,” calling Israel’s constant bombardment of Gaza and the level of destruction and civilian casualties “alarming.” Protecting civilians “is paramount in any armed conflict,” he said.
Without naming Hamas, the U.N. chief stressed that “protecting civilians can never mean using them as human shields.”
Guterres also criticized Israel without naming it, saying “protecting civilians does not mean ordering more than one million people to evacuate to the south, where there is no shelter, no food, no water, no medicine and no fuel, and then continuing to bomb the south itself.”
The United States is pushing for adoption of a resolution that would condemn the Hamas attacks in Israel and violence against civilians, and reaffirm Israel’s right to self-defense. There were some expectations that it might be voted on Tuesday, but diplomats said it is still being negotiated.
A draft obtained Monday by The Associated Press would also demand the immediate release of all hostages, strongly urge respect for international laws on conducting war and protecting civilians, call on all countries to take steps to prevent a spillover, and demand immediate humanitarian access to Gaza.
veryGood! (2967)
Related
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan convicted in sprawling bribery case
- NFL's rush to implement new kickoff rules is Roger Goodell's latest winning power play
- Republican committee to select Buck’s likely replacement, adding a challenge to Boebert’s campaign
- Tennis Channel suspends reporter after comments on Barbora Krejcikova's appearance
- MLB Opening Day games postponed: Phillies vs. Braves, Mets-Brewers called off due to weather
- Evers signs new laws designed to bolster safety of judges, combat human trafficking
- Man charged with murder after pushing man in front of NYC subway in 'unprovoked attack': NYPD
- Watch a rescuer’s cat-like reflexes pluck a kitten from mid-air after a scary fall
- This stinks. A noxious weed forces Arizona national monument’s picnic area to close until May
Ranking
- UConn, Kansas State among five women's college basketball games to watch this weekend
- Why Michael Strahan's Daughter Isabella Is Struggling to Walk Amid Cancer Battle
- Sweet 16 bold predictions forecast the next drama in men's March Madness
- Former correctional officer at women’s prison in California sentenced for sexually abusing inmates
- Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Middle of the Road
- Evers signs new laws designed to bolster safety of judges, combat human trafficking
- Athletics unfazed by prospect of lame duck season at Oakland Coliseum in 2024
Recommendation
-
Detroit-area police win appeal over liability in death of woman in custody
-
Christina Applegate says she has 30 lesions on her brain amid MS battle
-
Missouri boarding school closes as state agency examines how it responded to abuse claims
-
What is the 'Mob Wives' trend? Renee Graziano, more weigh in on TikTok's newest aesthetic
-
Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
-
House of Villains Season 2 Cast Revealed: Teresa Giudice, Richard Hatch and More
-
Ex-Trump lawyer Eastman should lose state law license for efforts to overturn election, judge says
-
Why Jennifer Garner's Vital—Not Viral—Beauty Tips Are Guaranteed to Influence You