UN Chief to Visit Gaza Border in New Plea for Truce – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to visit the border between Egypt and Gaza on Saturday, aiming to renew appeals for a ceasefire. This initiative seeks to bring relief to the region, which has been profoundly affected by over five months of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Guterres’ visit coincides with Israel’s looming threat of a major military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, situated just across the border from Egypt. Despite international calls urging against such an offensive, Israel persists in its stance. Most of the 2.3 million residents in Gaza are seeking shelter in the vicinity of Rafah.
While conditions are particularly dire in the northern part of the strip, the overall situation for civilians throughout the territory has significantly worsened as the conflict persists. Guterres is scheduled to visit Al Arish in Egypt’s northern Sinai, a crucial hub where a considerable amount of international relief for Gaza is received and stored. Additionally, he will visit the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, a key entry point for aid.
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It is anticipated that he will tour a hospital in Al Arish and engage with U.N. humanitarian personnel in Rafah. As aspirations for a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan have diminished and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated, the United States and other nations have endeavored to augment relief efforts through air drops and maritime deliveries.
However, humanitarian organizations assert that only approximately one-fifth of the necessary supplies have been reaching Gaza and emphasize that the most effective approach to addressing the needs in the coastal enclave is to significantly expedite ground deliveries. Israel, committed to eradicating Hamas and concerned about potential diversion of aid by the Palestinian militant group, has kept all but one of its land crossings into the enclave sealed.
Recently, a global food monitoring agency issued a warning of imminent famine in northern Gaza, which could extend to other parts of the territory if a ceasefire isn’t reached. Local health authorities report that over 32,000 individuals, including many women and children, have lost their lives due to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
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Israel initiated the attack in retaliation for a Hamas assault, resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties and over 250 individuals being taken captive, as per Israeli reports. Guterres, who previously visited the Egypt-Gaza border shortly after the outbreak of the conflict, is currently on a trip to Egypt and Jordan as part of his annual “solidarity trip” to Muslim nations during Ramadan.
During his stay in Cairo, he plans to observe the daily fast-breaking with refugees from Sudan, where conflicts among military factions have displaced nearly 8.5 million people, causing severe hunger in parts of the population and triggering ethnically-motivated violence in Darfur.
