"Besides death, destruction from military operations, hunger and disease are being inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza," Antonio Guterres said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the worsening situation in the Gaza Strip and again called for a ceasefire, the BBC reported.
"It is time for a humanitarian ceasefire before a gigantic tragedy unfolds in Gaza, if we have the same intensity of military operations in Gaza as we have seen in Khan Younis and in other parts of the Gaza Strip, I mean the same in Rafah," he said Guterres at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York.
Guterres said he was troubled by reports that the Israeli military intended to target Rafah.
"Half of the population of the Gaza Strip is now crowded into Rafah. They have nowhere to go," he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Monday that the army's next target in Gaza would be Rafah, which he said was the last remaining stronghold of the Palestinian group Hamas.
Guterres stressed that the situation in Gaza "just keeps getting worse".
"In addition to the death and destruction from military operations, hunger and disease are being inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza," he added.
Guterres said one of the UN convoys was damaged by Israeli naval artillery earlier this week, and in January only 10 of 61 planned aid convoys to the north of the country reached their destination.
"Let's be clear: denying humanitarian access means denying humanitarian aid to the civilian population. Food and water to a desperate population. Medicines and fuel to the hospitals," he said.
Regarding the recent interim decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Israel, Guterres said that he fully supports the decisions of the UN court.
"We believe that the International Court of Justice is the appropriate body that can rule on these matters. We fully support the decisions of the International Court of Justice and make it clear that all these decisions must be implemented.
"So it is absolutely necessary that all judgments are implemented. Obviously, I have full confidence in the International Court of Justice that it will be able to act if these judgments are not properly implemented," he added.
Last month, the International Court of Justice issued an interim order requiring Israel to stop obstructing aid flows to Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation in the enclave, after South Africa filed a claim accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide.
Guterres insisted on a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine./BGNES
