UN Chief "deeply alarmed" by mass graves found in Gaza hospitals, calls for independent international investigations
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep alarm at reports that mass graves have been uncovered in several locations in Gaza, including Al-Shifa Medical Complex and Nasser Medical Complex.
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He said the health system in Gaza has been decimated by the war, adding that two-thirds of hospitals and health centers are out of action; stressing that many of those that remain are seriously damaged.
"Some hospitals now resemble cemeteries," the UN Secretary-General said. "In Nasser alone, over 390 bodies have reportedly been exhumed."
There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried were unlawfully killed, he said.
The UN Chief affirmed that hospitals, health workers, patients and all civilians must be protected and the human rights of all must be respected.
"I have called consistently for a humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, that has not happened yet," he said.
"Without that, I fear the war, with all its consequences both in Gaza and across the region, will worsen exponentially,” adding that the recent weeks have seen airstrikes on the Rafah area.
A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee, the UN Secretary-General said, adding it would have a devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank, and across the wider region.
He noted that all members of the UN Security Council and many other governments have clearly expressed their opposition to such an operation, appealing for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it.
"More than 1.2 million people are now seeking shelter in Rafah governorate, most of them fleeing the Israeli bombardment that has reportedly killed over 34,000 people. They have very little to eat, hardly any access to medical care, little shelter and nowhere safe to go," he said.
"In northern Gaza, the most vulnerable – from sick children to people with disabilities – are already dying of hunger and disease," Guterres said, noting: "We must do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable, human-made famine."
He noted that a major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza is the lack of security for humanitarians and the people we serve, pointing out that humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel, and the people in need, must not be targets.
"We welcome aid delivery by air and sea, but there is no alternative to the massive use of land routes. I again call on the Israeli authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers, including UNRWA, throughout Gaza," he added.
"We recognize the irreplaceable and indispensable work of UNRWA to support millions of people in Gaza, the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon," the UN Secretary-General said.
"Some Member States are giving to UNRWA for the first time and the generosity of private donors around the world is also heartening and unprecedented. But we still have a funding gap," he said.
He called on Member States, both traditional and new donors, to pledge funds generously to ensure the continuity of the agency’s operations.
The UN Secretary-General said UNRWA’s presence across the region is a source of hope and stability, noting that its education, healthcare and other services provide a sense of normality, safety and stability to desperate communities.
Speaking about Israeli colonies in the West Bank, the UN Chief said colonies are illegal in themselves and constitute an obstacle to peace and to the two-state solution.
Not only colonies are illegal, but the violence of colonists has been one of the most serious aggravating factors of the very dramatic situation that we have now in the West Bank, he stressed. “And obviously, this should also be a matter that would deserve full accountability.”
He affirmed that the two-state solution is the only sustainable path to peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider region.
"The United Nations is totally committed to supporting a pathway to peace, based on an end to the occupation and the establishment of a fully independent, democratic, viable, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part," the UN Secretary-General said.
