United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that children in Gaza are “dying or watching their parents killed” as a result of the attacks launched by Israel on the Strip.

This came in Guterres' speech before the 24th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, held in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

He added: "Gaza's children are dying, suffering serious injuries and psychological trauma, and watching their parents killed and their homes destroyed."

The Secretary-General stressed that the scenes experienced by Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip "must stop."

He added: "We need peace throughout the Middle East, starting with an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the bloodshed, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and increased life-saving aid."

He stressed that there is also a need for "a clear commitment and a road map to guarantee the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination."