Gaza war: UN secretary-general “no give up” in calling for a ceasefire despite US veto

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says he “will not give up” calling for a ceasefire in Gaza after the Secretary Council failed to pass a resolution demanding an immediate one.

“Last week, I delivered a letter to the president the Security Council, invoking Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations for the first time since I became Secretary-General in 2017. I wrote that there is no effective protection of civilians in Gaza,” he said while speaking Sunday at the Doha Forum.

The article has not been invoked since 1989 and allows the secretary-general to call a Security Council meeting on an “issue that may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security.”

Guterres warned that the healthcare system in Gaza was collapsing and said “expect public order to completely break down soon.”

“An even worse situation could unfold, including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt… We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is fast, deteriorating into a catastrophe, with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole, and for peace and security in the region,” the Secretary-General said.

Last Friday, the UN Secretary Council failed to adopt a resolution demanding the immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after a veto by the United States, a permanent member state. The veto was strongly condemned by aid groups as a “callous disregard” for human suffering and a “vote against humanity.”

The resolution – presented by the United Arab Emirates – would have also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access.

“I urge the Security Council to press to avert the humanitarian catastrophe and I reiterated in my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. Regrettably, the Security Council failed to do it. But that does not make it less necessary. So I can promise I will not give up,” Guterres said Sunday.