The United Nations Secretary-General called yesterday, Monday, for the implementation of a “permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, on the eve of the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack.
“It is time for the ceasefire to become permanent. It is time to allow large-scale humanitarian aid to enter the enclave. It is time for international law to be upheld,” said António Guterres in a message ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary.
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“We must build a political path toward lasting peace throughout the region. The United Nations remains steadfast in its commitment to this urgent need,” he added.
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Guterres called for “building a different future,” in which “Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, with their rights, dignity, and aspirations fully realized.”
Hamas’s incursion into the southern part of Israeli territory on October 7, 2023—which the the UN chief, led to the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, the majority of whom were civilians, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse based on official data.
“I mourn those killed in the attacks and those who died in captivity. The suffering they endured, and the endless grief of their families, must never be forgotten,” Guterres’s statement reads.
Israel’s subsequent large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip claimed the lives of at least 74,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health in the Palestinian enclave, whose figures are deemed reliable by the UN.
In the small Palestinian enclave, “civilians continue to endure unbearable conditions. Their suffering must also come to an end—now,” added António Guterres.
Following the ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025, the political future of the enclave remains uncertain.
Israel, which continues to occupy most of the Gaza Strip, refuses to withdraw its troops until Hamas’s disarmament has been verified. The Palestinian Islamist movement, for its part, says that disarmament will take place gradually and rejects the immediate and unilateral surrender of its arsenal.
Following the Hamas incursion, the Israeli armed forces became embroiled in a war on multiple fronts, particularly in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a Shiite movement backed by Tehran, as well as against Iran, alongside the U.S.
Source: Proto Thema
