In a body like the United Nations, given its structure and funding, the secretary-general operates with limits compared to member states. Often the strongest tool in this position is persuasion through words. Antonio Guterres continues to advocate for a change in the current situation and offered assurances on Wednesday about the emergence of an epic humanitarian disaster, underscoring the urgency for action.
Portugal’s delegation opened another Security Council session focused on the crisis, arranged this month by China, which holds the rotating presidency, and attended by Beijing’s foreign minister Wang Yi, along with several diplomatic officials from Arab countries.
Prior to them, Guterres welcomed the intensive negotiations pursued in recent days to extend the ceasefire that allowed the release of hostages and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. He also pressed for more: a real humanitarian ceasefire that slows the violence and permits aid to reach those in need while upholding dignity and protection for civilians.
This ceasefire message was echoed by other participants in the meeting, including Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki and Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. Yet it is viewed with skepticism by the main ally of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the United States. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reaffirmed the American stance while calling for a broader humanitarian pause that would extend the relief window for civilians in need.
Insufficient resolution
Guterres appeared fifteen days after his fifth attempt to unblock the Security Council, which is tasked with peace and security and with approving a resolution that would authorize humanitarian pauses. He noted the difficulty of balancing the text with real-world application and admitted the current assessment is not favorable. He stated that implementation has been partial at best and called the situation inadequate.
A review of the crisis helps explain Guterres’ position. The Secretary-General highlighted that more than 14,000 people had died, with two-thirds of them women and children. He condemned serious violations and emphasized, before the cessation of hostilities, that about 80 percent of the population had been forced to flee their homes, with roughly 45 percent of these residences damaged or destroyed. He lamented that there is no safe place in Gaza.
Guterres also noted that 82 UN facilities in the Strip remain operational and that the conflict has affected the UN’s work within 104 reported events, including 24 since the adoption of the November resolution. He recalled that 218 displaced people sought shelter in UN-run schools and that 111 UN personnel have died, representing the largest loss of life among the organization’s staff in its history.
The Secretary-General stressed that aid must reach those in need and that any entry into Gaza should be directed by humanitarian considerations. He pointed to the current fuel shortages that cannot sustain basic operations and reiterated calls to open additional crossing points beyond Rafah to improve aid access and reduce civilian suffering.
Palestine and Israel
The New York session again exposed a deep, unbridgeable divide. An agreement on a ceasefire was discussed, with Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan asserting that those backing the ceasefire often support Hamas’ actions in Gaza. He rejected the possibility of relying on Hamas as a peace partner, labeling the group a genocidal terrorist organization. His position focused on safeguarding security and preventing a collapse of regional stability.
Palestinian Foreign Minister al-Maliki countered that a ceasefire must become lasting, insisting that the massacres must not resume and declaring that the conflict is not a war but a massacre that demands an end. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud added that a ceasefire alone is not sufficient and warned that if it ends, the region risks a return to unbearable violence, underscoring the need for a durable political process alongside humanitarian relief.