UN chief says Gaza aid operations are 'on life support'
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UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned Israel of the consequences of embarking on a major ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip city that is overflowing with more than 1.3 million Palestinians displaced by war.
He said that Rafah sits "at the core" of the UN's humanitarian operations in Gaza and that a large-scale Israeli military operation there would have far-reaching consequences.
"An all-out offensive on the city would be devastating for Palestinian civilians who are already on the edge of survival," he said.
"I have repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a humanitarian ceasefire. That is the only way to massively scale up aid delivery in Gaza," Guterres said.
He described the humanitarian operations in Gaza as "on life support" and "barely functioning."
"The level of death and destruction is shocking in itself. The war is also spilling over borders across the region and affecting global trade," he continued.
Guterres spoke at the Munich Security Conference, a closely watched annual meeting of world leaders and defence officials in Bavaria's capital.
