“Words don’t feed hungry children” – Guterres urges action in Gaza

NEW YORK, July 26 (YPA) -UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said  that the crisis in the Gaza Strip has escalated beyond humanitarian dimensions, calling it “a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.”

“Powerful forces are ranged against human rights—and against the international system built to protect and uphold them,” Guterres said in a virtual address to Amnesty International’s Global Assembly, as reported by Anadolu Agency.

He denounced ongoing violations of international law, including “the relentless Israeli onslaught on Gaza,” and stressed that “nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction” since Oct. 7.

“The scale and scope are beyond anything we have seen in recent times,” he said, adding: “I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community. The lack of compassion. The lack of truth. The lack of humanity.”

Guterres also described the suffering of UN staff on the ground, saying: “Many are so numb and depleted that they say they feel neither dead nor alive,” while children “speak of wanting to go to heaven because, at least, they say, there is food there.”

“Words don’t feed hungry children,” Guterres said, reiterating the UN’s readiness to “dramatically scale up humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip.”

“This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience,” he said.

He urged an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access.

@E.Y.M