UN chief urges Gaza ceasefire

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN commits to keeping backing sustainable peace efforts, echoing his call for an immediate Gaza ceasefire. Guterres made the remarks while addressing a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held late Friday upon Algeria's request on the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian issue. "The key to peace in the region is a political solution," he said, calling on the international community to mobilize for an immediate ceasefire and the beginning of an irreversible process towards the end of the Israeli occupation and the creation of a Palestinian State. "I urge the Council to unite in support of an immediate ceasefire leading to a viable two-State solution. That is the only way to end this cycle of tragedy," he added. The UN chief warned that shockwaves radiating from the unprecedented death and destruction in Gaza now threaten to push the entire region into the abyss: a full-scale conflagration with unimaginable consequences. He added that the Adviso ry Opinion of the International Court of Justice found that Israeli occupation's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful, and that Israeli occupation has an obligation to end it as rapidly as possible. On the situation in Lebanon, Guterres sounded the alarm that tar in Lebanon could lead to further escalation involving outside powers. Source: Kuwait News Agency