UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief is warning that “the situation in the Middle East is growing more dire by the hour,” with the risk of the latest Israel-Hamas war spiraling through the region as tensions threaten to boil over.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and appealed “to all to pull back from the brink before the violence claims even more lives and spreads even farther.”
He told the U.N. Security Council’s monthly Middle East meeting — which has been turned into a high-level event with more than a dozen foreign ministers flying to New York — that the rules of war must be obeyed.
Guterres said the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify “the horrifying and unprecedented Oct. 7 acts of terror” by Hamas in Israel, and he demanded the immediate release of all hostages.
He also stressed that “those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” He called Israel’s constant bombardment of Gaza and the level of civilian casualties “alarming,” stressing that their protection in conflict is paramount.
