Guterres Fuel cuts to Gaza mean the last lifeline is cut off

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, in a statement issued by his spokesperson and distributed to the press accredited to the international organization on Thursday.

The statement said, “The multiple attacks launched in recent days against sites sheltering internally displaced persons and people trying to obtain food in Gaza have resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of Palestinians,” stressing that the Secretary-General “strongly condemns the loss of civilian life.”

The statement noted that evacuation orders issued in just one day this week forced nearly 30,000 people to flee once again, with nowhere safe to go, amid severe shortages of shelter, food, medicine, and water. He added, “International humanitarian law is unequivocal: civilians must be respected and protected, and the needs of the population must be met.”

Guterres also expressed his deep concern over the fuel shortage in Gaza for more than 17 weeks, describing it as “the last lifeline being cut off.” He continued, “Without an urgent flow of fuel, incubators will cease to function, ambulances will be unable to transport the wounded and sick, water will not be purified, and the delivery of the remaining humanitarian aid provided by the United Nations and its partners will be halted.”