UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that he was surprised by Israel's escalation of bombing in Gaza and reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons to deliver aid. Guterres added in a statement: "What has encouraged me in recent days is what appears to be an increasing consensus in the international community on the need for at least a humanitarian ceasefire in the fighting." He continued, "Unfortunately, instead of a ceasefire, I was surprised by an unprecedented escalation of bombing and its devastating effects, undermining the stated humanitarian goals."
Guterres's statements came following Israel's escalation of its retaliatory response, ongoing for three weeks, to the attack carried out by the Palestinian movement Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 Israelis. Relief agencies say that a humanitarian disaster is worsening in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million and is under complete Israeli siege. Health authorities in the Hamas-controlled territory reported that 7,650 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the Israeli bombing.
Gaza has been experiencing a near-total communication blackout since Friday evening, with the Palestinian Red Crescent blaming Israel for this. Guterres stated on Saturday: "Due to the communication blackout, I am also very concerned about UN personnel in Gaza who are providing humanitarian assistance," adding that the situation needs to be addressed.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the power outage is preventing ambulances from reaching patients and depriving people of safe shelter. He and other relief agencies reported that they are unable to contact their staff, but a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent in Gaza managed to send a voice message.
Calls for a ceasefire are increasing worldwide, with hundreds of thousands protesting in cities around the globe in support of the Palestinians on Saturday.
