Guterres: Hamas attacks did not occur in a vacuum and do not justify Israel's mass killing in Gaza

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called - today, Tuesday - for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, and said that the attacks of the Palestinian resistance do not justify Israel’s mass killing taking place in Gaza, while Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki considered that the Council’s failure to act to save the residents Gaza is “unforgivable.”

This came in an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue, after the escalation of confrontations between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel.

"It is important to realize that Hamas's attacks did not occur in a vacuum, and that these attacks do not justify for Israel the mass killing taking place in Gaza." Guterres said.

He added, "In order to alleviate this enormous suffering, facilitate the guaranteed distribution of aid, and facilitate the release of hostages, I reiterate my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire."

He expressed "deep concern about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we see in Gaza," adding, "Let us be clear: every party to any armed conflict is not above international humanitarian law."

Guterres stressed that the aid that has entered Gaza so far "is just a drop in the ocean of needs. In addition, the United Nations fuel stocks in Gaza will run out within days. This will be another disaster."