2024-05-03 04:39:18
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterrespleaded this Thursday with Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement and thus prevent the war in the Gaza Strip from getting “exponentially” worse.
“For the good of the people of Gaza, the hostages and their families in Israel, and for the good of the region and the world, I urge the Government of Israel and the leaders of Hamas to reach an agreement. Without that, I fear that the war, with all its consequences, will worsen exponentially,” Guterres said from the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, where he met with Chilean President Gabriel Boric.
The Islamist group continues to meditate on what response to give to Israel following the latest proposal to seal a truce agreement in the Palestinian enclave, where Israeli troops have caused the death of some 35,000 people since October 7, mostly women and children.
A Hamas source told EFE in Cairo this Thursday that it will respond in a “very short” period of time, perhaps “early next week”.
According to this same source, who requested anonymity, Hamas officials are immersed in talks and do not want to report “whether there is progress or not” because “it is hasty.”
Guterres, who traveled to Chile to chair the United Nations System Chief Executives Board, He also warned regarding the impact that a military assault on Rafah would have.a city located in the south of the Gaza Strip, close to the border with Egypt, which has been bombed in recent weeks.
“A military assault on Rafah would mean an unbearable escalation that would kill thousands more civilians and force hundreds of thousands to flee. “It would have a devastating impact on the Palestinians of Gaza, as well as serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank and throughout the region,” he noted.
Boric, for his part, said that “in the months that the war has been going on in Gaza, more than twice as many civilians have died as have died in the two years of conflagration in Ukraine between two powerful armies.”
“Here it is not the case. What is happening today, the responsibility of the Government of Israel, led by Mr. Netanyahu, is a unilateral massacre and it must stop. We call for a ceasefire and support for the victims,” emphasized the Chilean president, one of the most critical voices in the region once morest Israel’s offensive.
This is Guterres’ second visit to Chile following last November, when he and Boric made a trip to Antarctica to witness the impact of climate change.
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