UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called for the ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip to become permanent and for progress towards the second phase of the comprehensive plan to end the conflict, one day before the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 attack.
Guterres calls for ceasefire consolidation and expanded aid
In a statement posted on his official account on the X platform, Guterres said the time had come to make the ceasefire permanent and allow humanitarian aid to enter the Strip on a large scale, alongside respect for international law. He called on all parties to fulfil their commitments in full and move towards the next phase of the ceasefire based on the plan to end the conflict in Gaza.
The Secretary-General added: “We must build the political path towards lasting peace throughout the region. The United Nations remains firmly committed to these imperatives.” He also called for “building a different future: a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, with their rights upheld, their dignity protected and their aspirations fulfilled.”
Guterres reviews the impact of the October attack on civilians
Guterres addressed the impact of the 7 October attack, saying: “After three years, the pain of 7 October remains for the families who lost loved ones, for survivors and for all those whose lives were changed forever.” He continued: “I mourn those who were killed in the attacks and those who died in captivity.
Their suffering must not be forgotten, nor must the ongoing grief experienced by their families.” Speaking about the situation in Gaza, Guterres said that “the devastating hostilities that followed” had inflicted indescribable suffering on Palestinians in the Strip, including a heavy loss of life, displacement and widespread destruction.
He added that civilians were still living in intolerable conditions and that their suffering must be brought to an end now. The war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip has left more than 74,000 people dead, while 90% of buildings and infrastructure have been damaged. Since US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in October 2025, the region’s political future has remained unresolved.
Israel still controls most of the Gaza Strip and refuses to withdraw its forces before verifying that Hamas has been disarmed. Hamas, meanwhile, is demanding that the disarmament process be gradual rather than involving the immediate and unilateral surrender of its arsenal.
Guterres said the ceasefire reached last year had provided some relief, but had so far failed to provide adequate security or humanitarian aid, and had not established a credible path towards recovery and peace. At the end of his statement, he renewed his call for the commitments to be completed and for the next phase of the ceasefire plan to begin.
