Currently Online 
UN chief on 6 months of war
Antonio Guterres has begun a speech to mark six months of war.
Guterres on Hamas attack
The UN chief begins his speech by saying Sunday marks six months since Hamas launched its “abhorrent terror” attacks in Israel. He calls October 7 “a day of pain for Israel and the world” and says he mourns for the people killed “in cold blood”.
Guterres also calls for the unconditional release of all the captives still held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza. “I have met with many of the family members of those being held captive and even former hostages themselves. I carry their anguish, uncertainty and deep pain with me every day,” he says.
Nothing can justify collective punishment of Palestinians: UN chief
Guterres continues by saying that over the last six months, the Israeli military campaign has brought “relentless death and destruction” to Palestinians in Gaza.
“Lives are shattered. Respect for international humanitarian law is in tatters,” he says. “During my visit to the Rafah crossing 10 days ago, I met veteran humanitarians who told me categorically that the crisis and suffering in Gaza is unlike any they have ever seen,” Guterres adds, noting that long lines of trucks with aid continued to face “obstacle after obstacle”.
“When the gates to aid are closed, the doors to starvation are opened,” he says.
“More than half the population – over a million people – are facing catastrophic hunger. Children in Gaza today are dying for lack of food and water. “This is incomprehensible, and entirely avoidable.
“Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
UN chief troubled by Israeli army’s AI usage
Guterres also says he is “deeply troubled” by reports that the Israeli army’s bombing campaign includes artificial intelligence as a tool in the identification of targets, particularly in densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties.
“No part of life and death decisions which impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms,” he says.
Denying journalists entry into Gaza is allowing disinformation: Guterres
Guterres calls the war in Gaza the deadliest of conflicts in terms of speed, scale and inhumane ferocity for civilians, aid workers, journalists, health workers and UN personnel.
He says some 196 humanitarian aid workers, including more than 175 members of UN, have been killed.
“An information war has added to the trauma – obscuring facts and shifting blame. Denying international journalists entry into Gaza is allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish,” Guterres adds.
‘Silence the guns,’ UN chief says as he concludes speech
Guterres also refers to Israel’s acknowledgement of “mistakes” after this week’s killing of seven WCK aid workers. “The essential problem is not who made the mistakes, it is the military procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again,” he says.
“Fixing those failures requires independent investigations and meaningful change on the ground,” the UN boss adds.
Guterres also says the UN has been informed by the Israeli government of its intention to allow more humanitarian aid distributed in Gaza. “I sincerely hope that these intentions are effectively and quickly materialised because the situation in Gaza is absolutely desperate,” he says, calling for “a true paradigm shift”.
Guterres concludes his speech by repeating his “urgent appeals” for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of
all captive, the protection of civilians, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid”.
He says failure to meet the demands of the Security Council, which last week demanded an immediate ceasefire, would be “unforgivable”. “Six months on, we are at the brink: of mass starvation; of regional conflagration; of a total loss of faith in global standards and norms,” Guterres says.
“It’s time to step back from that brink – to silence the guns – to ease the horrible suffering – and to stop a potential famine before it is too late.”
Probe into killing of aid workers requires Israeli cooperation, Guterres says
Following a question about an independent investigation into the deaths of aid workers, Guterres says the investigation can only work if Israel accepts it and decides to cooperate.
“As I said, the question is not these only specific incidents, 196 humanitarian workers have been killed, and we want to know why each one of them was killed,” he said.
Guterres: ‘We need a paradigm shift’ in Gaza
Guterres says the UN is unaware of what measures will be announced regarding the opening of the Erez crossing. “It is not enough to have scattered measures, we need a paradigm shift. We will see if it comes and after that we will [assess the situation],” he said.
Responding to Israel’s decision to fire commanders connected to the killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers, Guterres said it is not enough just “to know if some mistakes were committed and who committed them” but Israel needs to change a system which permits such incidents to happen “time and time again”.
“It is the change of that system that is required which implies a change in the strategy and the procedures that the military are using in Gaza.”
