United Nations
Urgent calls for a ceasefire in Gaza
Palestinians queue to receive clean water from a water station. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic. photo
© Ahmed Zakot/dpa
UN Secretary-General Guterres invokes Article 99 of the Charter. The Israeli foreign minister responded to this with sharp words. However, other voices are pushing in the same direction.
The situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic and almost irreversible. “We cannot wait. The Council must act decisively to call for a humanitarian ceasefire,” the statement continued. Similar initiatives have so far failed due to resistance from the USA.
Guterres takes a rare step
UN Secretary-General António Guterres had previously taken a rare step in urging the UN Security Council to work to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. In a letter to the Security Council on Wednesday, the UN chief invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time since taking office in 2017. This allows the Secretary General to bring to the attention of the Security Council “any matter which, in his opinion, may jeopardize the guarantee of international peace and security” and, according to the UN, has not been used for decades.
“I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. This is urgent. The civilian population must be spared greater suffering,” the letter said.
However, Guterres received sharp criticism from Israel. “His request to activate Article 99 and the call for a ceasefire in Gaza represent support for the terrorist organization Hamas,” wrote Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on calls on EU members in the UN Security Council to support its initiative. The Security Council must act immediately to prevent a complete collapse of the humanitarian situation, Borrell wrote on X on Thursday.