UN Chief Slams Global Apathy to Gaza’s Worsening Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday denounced the global community’s failure to address growing starvation in Gaza, calling it a “moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.”

Speaking via video to Amnesty International’s global assembly, Guterres said, “I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction by too many in the international community — the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity.”

He stressed that the crisis in Gaza is not just humanitarian but moral in scale. “We will continue to speak out at every opportunity,” he added.

Humanitarian agencies have warned of rising starvation, especially among children, in the war-torn enclave. Israel imposed an aid blockade in March amid its ongoing war with Hamas, easing it partially two months later. However, aid remains scarce and is now managed by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which replaced the UN-led aid system.

Critics, including the UN and several aid groups, have refused to work with the GHF, accusing it of aligning with Israeli military interests.

Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said Friday, “There is no excuse for what is happening in Gaza. The scale of human suffering and stripping of dignity have exceeded every acceptable standard — legal and moral.”

She said the ICRC has over 350 staff in Gaza, many of whom are also struggling to find food and clean water.

Guterres reiterated his condemnation of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel but said, “Nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since. The scale and scope are beyond anything we’ve seen in recent times.”

He highlighted the despair of children in Gaza, some of whom say they want to go to heaven just to find food. “We hold video calls with our own humanitarians who are starving before our eyes... But words don’t feed hungry children.”

Guterres also condemned the killing of over 1,000 Palestinians attempting to access food aid since May 27, when the GHF began its operations.

He called for urgent steps: “An immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full, unhindered humanitarian access.”

The UN, he said, is prepared to dramatically scale up relief operations if a ceasefire is reached.