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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the Middle East is on the “verge of the abyss” as he called on the Islamist-militant group Hamas to immediately release hostages. The UN chief also said humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip was urgently required.
“To Hamas, the hostages must be immediately released without conditions. To Israel, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid must be granted for the sake of the civilians in Gaza,” Guterres said in a statement.
“Each one of these two objectives are valid in themselves. They should not become bargaining chips and they must be implemented because it is the right thing to do.”
“Gaza is running out of water, electricity and other essential supplies,” he added.
Guterres said the UN has food, water, non-food items, medical supplies and fuel readily available in Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank which could be distributed to Gaza “within hours” if staff could transport the goods safely and without impediment.
Meanwhile, reserves of fuel at all hospitals across the Gaza Strip are on the verge of running out, with the clock ticking on 24 hours worth left. This means thousands of patients are at risk, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday.
The coastal enclave of Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with around 2.2 million people living on around 45 square kilometers of land.
Israel has been bombarding the area since the terror attacks on Israeli civilians carried out by Hamas on October 7. Hamas abducted some 130 Israeli and other foreign nationals during the terror attacks and is holding them in Gaza.
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