UN chief urges world support for Middle East amid turbulent period

UNITED NATIONS: With the Middle East undergoing “a period of profound transformation”, the international community must support efforts towards more justice, dignity, human rights and peace in the region, UN Secret-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council.

The UN chief addressed the Council’s first quarterly debate on the Middle East for the year, held against the backdrop of Sunday’s tempor ceasefire in Gaza, the end of hostilities in Lebanon sparked by the war, and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.

“We have a responsibility to help make sure the people of the Middle East come out of this turbulent period with peace, dignity and a horizon of hope grounded in action,” he said, speaking fresh from a visit to Lebanon. Guterres said that the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal offer a ray of hope.

The first phase of the agreement went into effect on Sunday, with Hamas releasing three women hostages and Israel releasing 90 Palestinian prisoners.

“While many challenges lie ahead, we should appreciate the long-overdue relief this moment provides for Palestinians in Gaza and the hostages reunited with their loved ones,” he said.

Meanwhile, the UN is doing its part to ensure the rapid scale-up of humanitarian deliveries. More than 630 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Sunday, with at least 300 headed to the north.

He said the parties now must make good on their commitments and fully implement the deal and ensure that it leads to the release of all hostages and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The Secret-General pledged that the UN “will do all we can to advance these efforts – in particular, to scale up humanitarian aid across Gaza, fully aware of the significant obstacles, challenges and constraints that we still face.”

The ceasefire “must translate into at least four simultaneous actions on the ground”, he said.

The first must be that UN entities “including UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, which he called “the backbone of our humanitarian response” – must be able to perform their functions without hindrance.

“The UN must have rapid, safe and unimpeded access through all available channels and crossings to deliver food, water, medicine, fuel, shelter, and materials to repair infrastructure across Gaza, including the north,” he said.