by Cynthia Rush (EIRNS) — Dec. 06, 2023
In an urgent letter today, directed to the current Ecuadorian chair of the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, to call for the immediate declaration of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza so that a “catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region” can be averted. Article 99 of the Charter states that “the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security,” and Guterres asserts that continuation of the horrific crisis in Gaza may indeed “aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security.” It is, he warns, the responsibility of the international community to “use all its influence to prevent further escalation and end this crisis.”
Guterres’ letter is a dramatic call for enforceable action—which can only come from the UN Security Council. To date, any meaningful action by the Security Council has been vetoed by the United States, in support of Israel’s war.
Guterres condemns Hamas’ terrorist acts of Oct. 7, its brutal killing of 1,200 people and taking of 250 hostages, whom he demands be unconditionally released. He goes on to then provide a detailed report of Israel’s destruction of Gaza, killing 15,000 people, 40% of whom are children and forcibly displacing 80% of Gaza’s 2.2 million population. “There is no effective protection of civilians … the health care system in Gaza is collapsing. Hospitals have been turned into battlegrounds,” and only 14 of 36 are partially functioning.
Despite the UNSC calling for scaling up the provision of supplies to meet the population’s humanitarian needs, according to the recent Resolution 2712, the Secretary General adds, current conditions make it impossible for meaningful humanitarian operations to be conducted. Since the end of the pause, delivery of humanitarian supplies has been insufficient. “We are simply unable to reach those in need inside Gaza … the capacity of the United Nations and its humanitarian partners has been decimated by supply shortages, lack of fuel, interrupted communications and growing insecurity…. We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system.”
Guterres warns an even worse crisis could unfold were public order to completely break down, including epidemic diseases and even greater pressure for mass displacement to neighboring countries. Guterres concludes: “I reiterate my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. This is urgent. The civilian population must be spared from greater harm. With a humanitarian ceasefire, the means of survival can be restored, and humanitarian assistance can be delivered in a safe and timely manner across the Gaza Strip.”