UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the ceasefire in Gaza as "fragile" and "repeatedly violated" while appealing for it to be respected and used to advance peace efforts.
"The ceasefire in Gaza is fragile, is repeatedly violated, but it is holding. And I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be fully respected and to pave the way for the negotiations of phase two, leading to the creation of the conditions for the self-determination of the Palestinian people and the creation of the two-state solution," Guterres said at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
Saying that humanitarian operations in Gaza are expanding despite continuing obstacles, he said: "We are indeed, at the present moment, substantially increasing, even still, with some obstacles and difficulties that are not yet removed, that we are substantially increasing our humanitarian aid in Gaza."
"And the next steps for the UN will be, of course, defined by the Security Council," he added.
Worries and restrictions
Earlier in the day, G7 ministers expressed concern about Israel's restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The ministers, along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warned that illegal Israeli settlers' violence in the occupied West Bank could undermine peace efforts in Gaza.
Israel has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its genocide in the blockaded enclave since October 2023.
It has reduced most of the enclave to ruins and practically displaced all of its population.
