UN Secretary-General warns Gaza offensive, settlement approvals threaten two-state viability

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the United Nations Security Council that the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory has worsened and urged immediate international action.

"To call this situation untenable and morally and legally indefensible does not begin to capture the scale of human suffering," Guterres said, adding that he has "repeatedly appealed for an immediate permanent ceasefire, the immediate unconditional release of all hostages, and the immediate unconditional and an unhindered humanitarian access." He said famine was a reality and that civilians and remaining hostages were trapped amid relentless bombardment that deprived people of food, water, electricity and medicine.

Why it matters: Guterres framed the situation as one with regional and global implications, saying violence has spread "from Gaza into the occupied West Bank and beyond" and that ongoing settlement expansion and forced displacement are eroding the prospects for a two-state solution. He singled out recent Israeli approval of construction in the E1 area, saying implementation "would sever the occupied West Bank, destroying the territorial contiguity of a Palestinian state." He described settlements as "a flagrant violation of international law."

The secretary-general also said the Palestinian Authority faces an "existential crisis" because of fiscal, political and institutional pressures. He cited Israel's withholding of clearance revenues, a sharp decline in donor aid and the suffocation of the Palestinian economy, which he said had left the Palestinian Authority unable to pay salaries or deliver basic services. He urged "urgent international support, financial and political, ... to stabilize the Palestinian Authority and preserve its viability as a partner for peace."

Guterres referenced recent diplomacy, saying efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States to secure a ceasefire and hostage-release deal suffered a serious blow in September and that an Israeli attack on Qatari territory "threatened the very norms and mechanisms we rely on for diplomacy and conflict resolution." He welcomed the resumption of an international conference on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia and said recognition of Palestinian statehood by additional countries, including some permanent Security Council members, helped "reignite political momentum."

The secretary-general closed by urging Security Council members to act. "A just and lasting peace will never be built through more violence," he said, adding that peace requires a collective commitment to diplomacy, international law and the dignity of all people.

No formal Council vote or decision was reported in the transcript excerpt. Guterres' remarks were presented as a statement and a call for action rather than as a binding legal or political decision by the council.