UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to continue pushing for a full ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza, and "to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing" in the enclave, in a speech in New York on Wednesday.
He was addressing the opening of the latest session of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People , which met to elect a new bureau and adopt a programme of work for the year.
The UN chief spoke in the wake of comments made by United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday night in the Oval Office, who suggested the US could "take over" the Gaza Strip, calling on Palestinians living there to leave.
Prior to the Committee meeting, journalists asked UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at the noon briefing in New York if the Secretary-General believed the President's plan amounted to ethnic cleansing: "Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing," he responded.
Rights at risk
Addressing Committee members, the Secretary-General stated that "at its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land."
He noted, however, that "we have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach" as well as "a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people."
Death, destruction and displacement
He stressed that "of course, nothing justifies the horrific Hamas attacks of October 7" or "what we have seen unfold in Gaza over these last many months."
He pointed to "the catalogue of destruction and unspeakable horrors", with nearly 50,000 people reportedly killed, mainly women and children, and most of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza destroyed.
Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of the population has faced repeated displacement, hunger and disease, while children have been out of school for over a year - "a generation, left homeless and traumatized."
Permanent ceasefire now
The Secretary-General welcomed the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, announced last month. He thanked mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States for their continued efforts to ensure implementation.
"Now it is time to be crystal clear about objectives going forward," he said.
"First, we must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay. We cannot go back to more death and destruction."
The UN is working around the clock to reach Palestinians in need and scale up support, he said, which requires humanitarian access that is rapid, safe, unimpeded, expanded, and sustained.
He appealed to Member States, donors, and the international community to fully fund humanitarian operations and meet urgent needs, and again urged countries to support the essential work of UNRWA , the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees.
Avoid 'ethnic cleansing'
"In the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse," he continued.
"It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing."
His third and final point called for reaffirming the two-State solution between Israelis and Palestinians. "Any durable peace will require tangible, irreversible and permanent progress toward the two-State solution, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part," he said.
He insisted that "a viable, sovereign Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel is the only sustainable solution for Middle East stability."
End West Bank violence
The Secretary-General turned to the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, voicing grave concern over rising violence by Israeli settlers and other violations.
"The violence must stop," he said. "As affirmed by the International Court of Justice , Israel's occupation of the Palestinian Territory must end."
He said the international community must work toward preserving the unity, contiguity, and integrity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
He said a strong and unified Palestinian governance is crucial and urged countries to support the Palestinian Authority in this regard.
Halt 'enemies of peace': Committee chair
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was established some 50 years ago by the UN General Assembly. It comprises 25 Member States, with 24 others serving as observers.
Ambassador Coly Seck of Senegal, the newly elected chair of the 2025 session, said the ceasefire was a decisive step forward in terms of providing aid and safety, including for people in Gaza to return home, but the past days have seen "worrisome statements" seeking to undermine this.
"We need to reinvent strategies to block the way for those enemies of peace on Palestinian ground that is so dear to us," he said, noting that "these postures indeed exacerbate the already difficult situation on the ground."
He added that civilians continue to be affected following attacks by the Israeli army, while the provision of aid is suffering due to the recent entry into force of two Israeli laws banning UNRWA operations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
"Whilst firmly condemning these unilateral legal measures against the Palestinian people, I would call upon the international community to rise up against these measures, to defend this people long oppressed, which has the right, as do all peoples of the world to live in peace on the land of their ancestors," he said.
More to follow…
