UN chief says situation in Gaza a ‘nexus of death’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned “the coming days are critical” for maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza and urged all parties to uphold their commitments.
“Next Tuesday, I will be in Cairo to join the extraordinary summit of the League of Arab States to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza,” Guterres said in a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.
Guterres described the situation in Gaza as “a nexus of death, displacement, hunger and disease”, warning the risk of further destruction remains high. He urged all parties to maintain the ongoing truce and captive release deal.
Guterres also stressed to need to “avoid a breakdown of this deal”, urging both sides “to uphold their commitments and implement all of them in full”.
“Each moment the ceasefire holds means more people reached and more lives saved,” he said.
Israel’s West Bank assault ‘a continuation’ of Gaza war: Tulkarem governor
The governor of Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank, has described the current Israeli military offensive in the province as “crushing”, the Wafa news agency reports.
“What is taking place is a continuation of the crime committed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip,” Governor Abdullah Kmail told reporters. “There has been massive displacement of the inhabitants of the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, as approximately 85 percent of them have already been forcibly displaced due to this aggression.”
Kmail notes about 1,100 homes were destroyed by the Israeli military in the two camps. Tulkarem and its camp were subjected to some 63 Israeli military incursions since 2023, but the current offensive was unprecedented and involved the systematic destruction of vital infrastructure including roads, water pipes, electricity lines, and sewage systems, as well as houses and stores.
Palestine asks ICJ for advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations
The State of Palestine has submitted a written plea to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asking it for an advisory opinion regarding Israel’s obligations not to obstruct humanitarian and development assistance in the territories it occupies.
In the submission, Palestinian officials affirmed the responsibility of Israel, as an occupying power, to not obstruct the work of the UN, international organisations, and third states so they can provide essential services, humanitarian aid, and development assistance to the Palestinian people.
Many states, as well as international groups, have submitted written pleas to the ICJ ahead of oral proceedings set to start in April. Last July, the ICJ issued a historic advisory opinion determining Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”.
