Guterres intends to visit Egypt on Friday to call for an end to the war in the Middle East
Agencies3 min read
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Thursday his intention to visit Egypt tomorrow, Friday, carrying a message calling for halting the expansion of the war, protecting civilians, and creating space for diplomacy and peace, in light of the escalating conflicts and humanitarian crises in the region.
During a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, Guterres said that he would emphasize during his visit the necessity of ending wars and allowing room for diplomatic solutions, expressing his hope for reaching a lasting peace in the Middle East.
He pointed to the importance of the Egyptian role in defending Palestinian rights and dealing with regional developments, including the situations in Sudan and Libya and the tensions between the United States and Iran.
In a related context, Guterres warned of the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, confirming that Israel continues to impose strict restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as winter approaches.
He also noted that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are subjected daily to attacks by Israeli settlers seeking to seize their lands, pointing out that the goal is to displace Palestinian communities from their areas.
He added that journalists and diplomats are also being subjected to attacks, asserting that "the situation has completely spiraled out of control."
The UN Secretary-General warned of the lack of funding allocated to the occupied Palestinian territories.
He explained that the residents of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank urgently need $450 million to provide food over the next six months, an amount equivalent to what the world's armies spend in about 90 minutes.
Guterres stressed the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation and reaching a solution that allows two states to live side by side in peace and security, alongside providing a credible political path that leads to a lasting peace.
Since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Israeli army and settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
These attacks include killing and arresting Palestinians, demolishing homes and facilities, burning mosques and vehicles, bulldozing agricultural lands, preventing farmers from reaching their fields, and displacing Palestinian communities, in addition to settlement expansion.
Palestinians warn that these practices pave the way for Israel to officially annex the West Bank, undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.
In 1948, Israel was established on Palestinian lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs that committed massacres and caused the displacement of at least 750,000 Palestinians, before Israel occupied the rest of the Palestinian territories in 1967 and refused to withdraw from them.
