Health Ministry said at least 7,300 Palestinians have been killed...
On Friday night Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General issued an appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza as Israel stepped up its offensive in the besieged enclave.
Guterres also called for the unconditional release of hostages that were brought into Gaza after Israel after Hamas attacked Israeli settlements on October 7. The UN chief also emphasised the delivery of life-saving supplies at a bigger scale in Gaza.
Everyone must assume their responsibilities. This is a moment of truth,” the UN chief wrote in a post on, formerly Twitter. “History will judge us all.”
The remarks by Guterres came as Israeli Defence Forces stepped up their bombardment in the Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv also knocked out the internet and communications in the besieged enclave, cutting off nearly 2.3 million people from contacting each other as well as the outside world.
Israel's chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari admitted that Tel Aviv has intensified the attacks in Gaza "to achieve the objectives of the war”, raising expectations that the long-anticipated ground invasion could be starting.
The war between Israel and Palestine's Hamas militant group entered its 22nd day on Saturday. Over 8,500 people have died on both sides.
The Hamas-led Health Ministry said at least 7,300 Palestinians have been killed in the retaliatory airstrikes carried out by Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza since October 7.
Multiple organisations, including the World Health Organization, said they have completely lost contact with their people in Gaza and all their teams operating on the ground in Gaza.
Last week, Israel demanded Guterres' resignation from his position over his remarks against the Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza.
The UN chief had said that the attacks by Hamas "did not happen in a vacuum" further adding that the attacks cannot justify the "collective punishment of the Palestinian people".
"It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.
They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing," the UN chief said at the General Assembly.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.