UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the return of hostages, and a “increase” in humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Palestinian territory.

“I repeat my call, the world’s call, for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and an increase in humanitarian aid,” Guterres stated in a video speech to a meeting of international donors in Kuwait.

A cease-fire, however, would be a start. It will take a long time to recover from the damage and injuries caused by this war,” he said According to the IDF, around 300,000 Palestinians have been evacuated to a designated “humanitarian zone” at the Rafah front evacuation zone and other regions.

“The war in Gaza is causing a terrible humanitarian crisis, devastating lives, tearing families apart, and leaving countless people homeless, hungry, and terrified,” he said.

His statement was delivered at the start of a Kuwait conference organised by the International Islamic Charitable Organisation (IICO) and the UN OCHA humanitarian organisation.

On Friday in Nairobi, the UN Secretary-General warned that if Israel starts a large-scale assault in the Rafah area, Gaza could suffer a “terrible humanitarian disaster”.

The Gaza conflict was precipitated by the Hamas massacre on October 7, when thousands of terrorists invaded the Israeli border by land, air, and sea, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 252 more. The victims were largely civilians, and there were numerous instances of cruelty and sexual abuse.

Israel has launched a massive military campaign in Gaza, vowing to demolish Hamas and rescue hostages while also crippling the terrorist organization’s military capability. Gaza’s health authorities claim more than 34,000 have been killed in the fighting, although figures from the Hamas health ministry could not be independently verified It is likely to include civilians and Hamas members murdered in Gaza, including as a result of terrorist attacks. Their own rocket landed miserably.

On October 7, the IDF claimed to have killed over 15,000 operatives in Gaza, as well as over 1,000 terrorists in Israel, while 272 soldiers were killed during combat operations against Hamas and border operations.