UN's Guterres condemns Oct. 7, Israel's actions in Gaza, calls for two-state solution

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres harshly criticized Israel's actions in Gaza following Hamas' October 7 massacre, urging the international community to uphold a two-state solution. In his opening remarks at the UN General Assembly, Guterres emphasized the need to remain vigilant about the dire circumstances in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He noted that, despite nearly three years having passed since the Hamas attack, the subsequent Israeli offensive against Palestinians in Gaza exhibited a level of death and destruction he had never witnessed during his tenure as secretary-general. Guterres highlighted the International Court of Justice's legally binding provisional measures in the case regarding the 'Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.'

He stressed that the UN must be permitted to carry out its mandates in Gaza, and that its staff and humanitarian aid workers must be safeguarded. According to Guterres, all parties involved must adhere to international law and the court's directives. Furthermore, he expressed deep concern over Israel's ongoing settlement expansion in the West Bank, which he argued is thwarting the path to peace and heightening fears of ethnic cleansing.

Guterres lamented the potential disappearance of the two-state solution before their eyes and called upon all nations to stand united in preserving it. Several other distinguished speakers are scheduled to address the assembly following Guterres' impassioned statements.