United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday reiterated calls for an immediate cease-fire in war-torn Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid to reach the starving population in the coastal enclave.
“Looking at Gaza, it almost appears that the four horsemen of war, famine, conquest and death are galloping across it. That is why the time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire is now,” he told a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, following talks.
He said Palestinians in Gaza need “a flood of aid,” calling for opening border crossings and allowing aid trucks waiting on the Egyptian side of Rafah crossing to enter Gaza.
The U.N. chief visited the Rafah crossing on Saturday and saw the aid trucks waiting.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed over the border on Oct. 7 and rampaged across southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of people hostage.
Hamas is still holding an estimated 100 hostages and the remains of 30 others, after most of the rest were freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in November.
Israel’s bombardment killed more than 32,000 Palestinians and wounded over 74,000 others.
More than 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with most seeking refuge in the southernmost city of Rafah, which Israel says will be the next target of its ground offensive.
