UN chief condemns Israeli airstrikes on Rafah

United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres on Tuesday condemned in the strongest terms the May 26 airstrikes on Rafah, which hit tents housing displaced people. In a statement released on his behalf, Guterres said he was "deeply saddened by the images of the dead and wounded, including many young children," and emphasized that "the horror and suffering must stop immediately." "The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is now exacerbated by the unconscionable possibility of a man-made famine," he said, calling for "an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages." The Secretary-General referred to "the recent orders of the International Court of Justice, which are binding, and the Israeli authorities must allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, that all crossing points are open in line with Security Council Resolution 2720, and that humanitarian organizations have full, rapid, safe and unhinder ed access for humanitarian assistance to reach all civilians in need throughout Gaza, in line with Security Council Resolution 2712. "We must act swiftly to restore security, dignity and hope to the affected population. "This will require urgent efforts to support and strengthen the new Palestinian government and its institutions, including preparing the Palestinian Authority to resume its responsibilities in Gaza," he said. "We must also move forward with concrete and irreversible steps to create a political horizon," he said. "The devastation and misery of the past seven months has reinforced the absolute need for Israelis, Palestinians, regional states and the broader international community to take urgent steps that will enable the parties to return to the long-awaited political path to peace: Realizing the two-state solution," he added. Source: Jordan News Agency