Nothing Justifies Collective Punishment in Gaza: Guterres

On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary Antonio Guterres emphasized that collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza cannot be justified in any way.

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"Nowadays, over half of the population is facing catastrophic hunger. This is unprecedented and worsening day by day. We must act now before it is too late," he urged.

Guterres appealed to Israel to ensure "full and unrestricted" access to humanitarian goods throughout Gaza and for the international community to fully support the United Nations' humanitarian efforts.

He also stressed that all international actors must "continue to do everything possible to stop the killings, achieve an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and ensure the release of Israeli hostages."

"Nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," stated Guterres, who called on the international community to unite to "silence the guns" in the Middle East.

Today, the UN Secretary will have a meeting with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and EC Vice-Presidents Margrethe Vestager, Valdis Dombrovskis, and Maros Sefcovic.

Subsequently, Guterres will meet with European Council President Charles Michel on the eve of the European leaders' summit held on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, where European leaders are expected to call for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.

"We are meeting at a particularly dark moment where Europe's role on the world stage is more important than ever," said Guterres, who called for unity to protect humanitarian workers.