UN chief says Gaza is “graveyard for children” as urgency for truce increases with every passing hour

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday reiterated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He said that such a truce is becoming more and more urgent with every passing hour.

The number of Palestinians killed due to Israel’s heavy airstrikes and expanding ground operations in Gaza have surpassed 10,000 on Monday, as per Hamas-run ministry of health in the Strip. Among the dead are 4,104 children.

The death toll also includes 88 people who were working with the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), which is the highest number of casualties recorded by UN in a single conflict.

During an exchange of words with reporters, Guterres said, “The nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis. It is crisis of humanity.” He added that due to the ground operations by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the continued bombardment hitting hospitals, mosques, refugee camps, churches and UN facilities, no one in the Strip is safe.