United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the situation is getting worse in Gaza, and that famine and disease are harming the Palestinians, in addition to death and destruction.

Guterres expressed concern about reports that the Israeli army intends to focus on Rafah in southern Gaza in the next phase of its attack on the Palestinian Strip.

"Such a measure would exacerbate what is already a humanitarian nightmare, and would have untold regional consequences," he told the 193-member UN General Assembly.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations said that the situation in Gaza is a festering wound in our collective conscience and threatens the entire region, and that half of Gaza’s population is now crammed into Rafah, with nowhere to go, no homes, and no hope.

He stressed that nothing justifies what he described as the horrific terrorist attacks launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, just as there is no justification for collective punishment of the Palestinian people. However, Israeli military operations resulted in destruction and deaths in Gaza on a scale and speed unparalleled since To become Secretary General.

The UN official once again called for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds and the unconditional release of detainees in Gaza.

"It is time for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. This must quickly lead to irreversible measures towards a two-state solution based on UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements," he added.