Guterres sent the letter under Article 99 of the UN’s charter, which allows the secretary general to bring any issue seen as threatening international peace to the Security Council’s attention, the UN said.
It marked the first time he’s directly invoked his most powerful diplomatic tool since taking charge of the global body in 2017, and the first time the office has explicitly invoked the article since 1971, during the crisis between India and Pakistan that led to the birth of Bangladesh.
In response to the letter, the United Arab Emirates plans to introduce a Security Council resolution Friday that would call for an immediate ceasefire, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
Heavy Gaza fighting halts most aid, leaves civilians with few places to shelter
Heavy Gaza fighting halts most aid, leaves civilians with few places to shelter
The proposal would call on all parties to comply with their obligations under international law.
The UN’s latest call for a halt comes as Israeli troops push deeper into the south of Gaza and battle Hamas militants.
The conflict began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to the Israeli government.
Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground attack since then has killed more than 16,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
This figure cannot be independently verified at present. However, the UN and observers point out that the authority’s figures have proved to be generally credible in the past.
Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the US and European Union.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a briefing with other members of his war cabinet, rebuffed mounting pressure to halt the military campaign in the southern Gaza Strip, vowing to press on until Hamas is eradicated.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, accused the secretary general of reaching “a new moral low” following the release of the letter.
“This is more proof of the secretary general’s moral distortion and his bias against Israel,” Erdan said in a response letter. “The secretary general’s call for a ceasefire is actually a call to keep Hamas’ reign of terror in Gaza.”
Many Palestinians escaped the initial Israeli onslaught, which was concentrated in northern Gaza, by fleeing to the south of the territory. That has increased the risks to civilians, now that the south is also under attack.
“The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region,” Guterres said in his letter.
Israel-Gaza war: Wang Yi calls for ‘major countries’ to be fair and impartial
Israel-Gaza war: Wang Yi calls for ‘major countries’ to be fair and impartial
Late on Wednesday evening, Israel announced it had authorised more fuel to be let into the south of the Gaza Strip. The Security Cabinet approved a corresponding recommendation from the War Cabinet, according to Netanyahu’s office.
An increase in the authorised minimum quantity was necessary “to prevent a humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of epidemics,” it added. It was not made clear how much fuel would be allowed into the Gaza Strip or when.
The US had previously demanded that Israel allow more aid supplies into the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media reports, Washington wants the daily delivery of 60,000 litres of fuel to be doubled or even tripled.
The Security Council on November 15 approved a resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in Israel’s campaign and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
A truce was implemented about a week later, but fighting resumed on December 1 when the sides failed to agree on an extension.
Additional reporting by dpa