Secretary-General Brief Press on Situation in Gaza as Six Months Passes of Conflict

Secretary-General António Guterres (left at podium) briefs reporters on the situation in Gaza on the six months mark since 7 October 2023. At second from left is Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

"In its speed, scale and inhumane ferocity, the war in Gaza is the deadliest of conflicts – for civilians, for aid workers, for journalists, for health workers, and for our own colleagues. Some 196 humanitarian aid workers – including more than 175 members of our own UN staff – have been killed. The vast majority were serving UNRWA [The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East], the backbone of all relief efforts in Gaza," said the Secretary-General, and continued: "I repeat my urgent appeals for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid. […] 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."