UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres raised the fundamental question facing every person around the world who sees the killing spreading in the Middle East: “We must find a way to hold onto our common humanity.”
“The nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis. It is a crisis of humanity…. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children,” Guterres stated in addressing reporters on Nov. 6.
“The unfolding catastrophe makes the need for a humanitarian ceasefire more urgent with every passing hour. The parties to the war, and, indeed, the international community, face an immediate and fundamental responsibility: to stop this inhuman collective suffering and dramatically expand humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
He announced that the United Nations was launching an appeal for $1.2 billion for humanitarian aid to help the entire population in the Gaza Strip, as well as a half-million more people in the West Bank who urgently need aid. The aid that passed through the Rafah crossing with Egypt in the last two weeks is less than the supplies delivered daily before Oct. 7. “And crucially, this does not include fuel,” he stated.
He elaborated the consequences: “Without fuel, newborn babies in incubators and patients on life support will die. Water cannot be pumped or purified. Raw sewage could soon start gushing onto the streets, further spreading disease. Trucks loaded with critical relief will be stranded.”
“The way forward is clear. A humanitarian ceasefire—now. All parties respecting all their obligations under international humanitarian law,” he said. That means “more food, more water, more medicine and, of course, fuel—entering Gaza safely, swiftly and at the scale needed —now. Unfettered access to deliver supplies to all people in need in Gaza—now.”
He reminded all that violence is rising; the occupied West Bank “is at a boiling point” and the conflict risks spreading into the wider region. “Cool heads and diplomatic efforts must prevail. Hateful rhetoric and provocative actions must cease,” by all sides, he emphasized again, as he had throughout his statement. “We must find a way to hold on to our common humanity.”
Guterres cited as inspiration, what one Israeli mother, whose child is held hostage in some tunnel in Gaza, had told him when she met with a group of hostage families ten days ago: “When you only get outraged when one side’s babies are killed, then your moral compass is broken and your humanity is broken.”
Guterres added: “Even in her utter despair, she stood before the world and reminded us: `In a competition of pain, there is never a winner.’ We must act now to find a way out of this brutal, awful, agonizing dead end of destruction. To help end the pain and suffering. To help heal the broken. And to help pave the way to peace, to a two-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians living in peace and security.”
