UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the dire situation in Gaza as the “cruelest phase of this cruel conflict”, warning that “families are being starved and denied the very basics, all with the world watching in real time”.
Speaking from UN headquarters in New York, Guterres underscored Israel’s legal obligation to ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians. While nearly 400 aid trucks were recently cleared through the Kerem Shalom crossing, he noted that “supplies from only 115 trucks have been able to be collected and nothing has reached the besieged north”.
He stressed that current aid flows “amount to a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required”, blaming “strict quotas” and “unnecessary delay procedures” for the bottleneck.
Guterres said the Israeli offensive continues “with atrocious levels of death and destruction”, leaving 80% of Gaza’s territory inaccessible.
“The big picture is that without rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access, more people will die and the long-term consequences on the entire population will be profound”, he added.
