UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for peace in the Middle East as he released a statement to mark the first anniversary of the Gaza conflict that began on October 7, 2023.
"Today marks one year since the horrific events of October 7 when Hamas launched a large-scale terror attack in Israel killing over 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals, including children and women," Guterres said in a video message on Monday. "More than 250 people were abducted and taken to Gaza, including many women and children."
It is "a day for the global community to reaffirm in the strongest terms its outright rejection of the horrific acts of Hamas, including hostage-taking," said UN secretary-general, who voiced his solidarity with all the victims and their families and demanded the prompt and unconditional release of all the hostages.
Guterres also said that since October 7, 2023, "a wave of shocking violence and bloodshed has erupted," and the war that followed "continues to shatter lives and inflict profound human suffering for Palestinians in Gaza, and now the people of Lebanon," Xinhua news agency reported.
"It is time for the release of the hostages. Time to silence the guns. Time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region. Time for peace, international law and justice," he said, adding that the United Nations is fully committed to achieving these goals.
And let us never stop working for a lasting solution to the conflict where Israel, Palestine and all other countries of the region can finally live in peace and dignity and with respect for one another, said Guterres.
In a separate message to mark one year since the attacks of October 7, 2023, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang underscored "an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and a return to dialogue with a view to finding diplomatic solutions to the conflicts in the region."
"Let me once again reaffirm that human suffering needs to stop and must stop now," he said.
"No military means will lead to sustainable peace," Yang said. "Only a two-state solution, based on the UN Charter, international law, and relevant UN resolutions, can secure a durable peace and security for both Israeli and Palestinian peoples and for the entire region."
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