“Hundreds of girls and boys are being killed and injured every day. Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children,” Guterres told reporters in a news briefing in New York on Monday.
“More journalists have reportedly been killed over a four-week period than in any conflict in at least three decades,” he added.
“More United Nations aid workers have been killed than in any comparable period in the history of our organization.”
“I joined the UN family in mourning 89 of our UNRWA colleagues who have been killed in Gaza, many of them together with members of their family,” Guterres said.
“They include teachers, school principals, doctors, engineers, guards, support staff and a young woman named Mai. Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or wheelchair confine her dreams. She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for UNRWA.”
“The nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis; it is a crisis of humanity,” the UN chief said at his address.
Guterres told reporters that Israel’s aerial bombardments and ground operations in Gaza “are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and UN facilities, including shelters”.
“The protection of civilians must be paramount. I am deeply concerned about clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing,” he said.
Source: Al Jazeera