United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a joint press conference with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan, March 25, 2024. Guterres said Monday that the effective delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza requires "the immediate delivery" of a humanitarian ceasefire.
During a joint press conference in Amman with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the UN chief said he would push for the removal of all obstacles to life-saving aid and find more entry points for their delivery into Gaza. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)
AMMAN, March 25 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that the effective delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza requires "the immediate delivery" of a humanitarian ceasefire.
During a joint press conference in Amman with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the UN chief said he would push for the removal of all obstacles to life-saving aid and find more entry points for their delivery into Gaza.
However, "there will be no sustainable humanitarian solution with an ongoing war as bloody as this," he added.
Guterres said he met with injured Palestinian civilians and heard directly from frontline UN humanitarian workers at the Rafah border crossing over the weekend.
"Without exception, they told me they have never seen anything as horrible as what is happening in Gaza today," he said. "The scale and speed of the death and destruction are on an entirely different level."
"The need is urgent," as starvation is engulfing Palestinians in Gaza, he noted.
During the presser, Safadi said that Gaza has become a cemetery for children, a catastrophic humanitarian consequence brought by the conflict, Jordan's state-run Al Mamlaka TV reported.
What is happening in Gaza must stop immediately, and Israel must abide by international legitimacy decisions, he noted.
The basic demand is to stop the ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, as well as to prevent the bloodshed in Rafah as Israel has vowed to launch a ground raid there, according to the Jordanian diplomat.
Jordan will continue to work with the United Nations to ensure that the world stands united to demand an end to massacres and crimes in Gaza and to stop "escaping from punishment for those who violate international law and international humanitarian law," said Safadi.
Turning to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), he said the agency has done extremely important work in meeting the needs of refugees.
UNRWA's role in Gaza cannot be replaced, and he welcomed the decision by several countries to resume funding the agency, Safadi noted. ■
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) attends a joint press conference with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan, March 25, 2024. Guterres said Monday that the effective delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza requires "the immediate delivery" of a humanitarian ceasefire.
During a joint press conference in Amman with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the UN chief said he would push for the removal of all obstacles to life-saving aid and find more entry points for their delivery into Gaza. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)
