Guterres: Gaza is moral crisis that challenges global conscience

NEW YORK, July 25 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres deplored the rampant human rights abuses across the world, notably the ongoing "relentless Israeli onslaught" on Gaza Strip.
In a speech to the Amnesty International Global Assembly via video-link on Friday, he said, "Because powerful forces are ranged against human rights - and against the international system built to protect and uphold them, we see attacks on the International Criminal Court; attacks on the international human rights system and its representatives; and flagrant violations of international law." "From the horrors in Sudan and beyond -- to Russia's invasion in Ukraine where we need a just and lasting peace based on the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions. "And, of course, the relentless Israeli onslaught on Gaza. I commend Amnesty International for your strong voices," the Secretary-General noted.
"Our own heroic staff continue to serve in unimaginable conditions. Many are so numb and depleted that they say they feel neither dead nor alive.
"Children speaking of wanting to go to heaven, because at least, they say, there is food there. We hold video calls with our own humanitarians who are starving before our eyes.
"This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience. We will continue to speak out at every opportunity. But words don't feed hungry children," he deplored.
"The United Nations stands ready to make the most of a possible ceasefire to dramatically scale up humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip, as we successfully did during the previous pause in fighting.
"Our plans are ready, and they are finalized. We know what works - and we know what does not.
"Since May 27, the United Nations has recorded over 1,000 Palestinians killed trying to access food.
"Let me repeat: 1,000 people - killed not in combat, but in desperation - while the entire population starves. "We need action. An immediate and permanent ceasefire. The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access," the Secretary-General urged. "At the same time, we need urgent, concrete and irreversible steps towards a two-State solution," he added.
Commending Amnesty's struggle for protection of human rights, Guterres said, "When Amnesty was founded in the '60s the fight for a fairer world was raging. For civil rights. For women's rights. For liberation from colonial rule." "These causes once seemed a distant dream. So did Portuguese democracy. I can assure you that your courage continues to change lives. Your persistence is shifting the course of history.
"Let's keep going. Let's keep fighting. Let's meet this moment with the urgency it demands. And let's never, ever give up," he concluded. (end) ast.gb