United Nations Secretary General António Guterres demanded the imposition of the orders of the International Court of Justice by the global leaders as the war entered a “third monstrous year” and civilians suffered unprecedented destruction.
Speaking during the inauguration of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session in New York, Guterres announced the ICJ provisional measures — which are binding by international law for Israel — must come into practice “fully and immediately.” The court orders call on Israel to suspend activities posing a risk of genocide, allow humanitarian access into Gaza, and sanction UN investigations into suspected war crimes.
Rather, Guterres observed, the situation in Gaza had taken a precipitous turn: famine had been declared, air bombardments had increased, and civilians continue trapped beneath near-total siege. “The level of death and destruction is unprecedented for any other conflict during my time as a secretary-general,” he explained to the delegates.
Although once again condemning the October 7, 2023, kidnappings and attacks by Hamas as “horrific,” Guterres stressed that nothing could justify the intentional destruction of Gaza or the collective punishment of Palestinians. He again called for a durable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all prisoners, and unrestricted humanitarian access.
Guterres also highlighted a successful two-state solution as the sole path toward Middle Eastern sustainable peace. The continued settler expansion, rising violence, and the threat of annexation, he warned, were eroding the chances for a Palestinian state.
They came amid rising foreign condemnation. The UN Commission of Inquiry as recently as last week concluded Israel is committing genocide against Gaza, warning member states silence would be equivalent to complicity for the purposes of international law. In addition to Gaza, Guterres referred to the vicious civil war in Sudan, describing civilians there as “slaughtered, starved, and silenced.” He urged foreign governments to bring the external support for the war to an end and requested immediate efforts for the protection of civilians, declaring, “The Sudanese people deserve peace, dignity, and hope.”
The secretary-general concluded with a dire warning: the globe must decide between “cooperation or collapse,” since wars, climate change, and defiance of the international rule of law come together into a global crisis requiring immediate multilateral action.
