UN Secretary-General urges immediate end to Gaza blockade, calls for two-state solution

United Nations Secretary-General said at the League of Arab States summit in Baghdad that the blockade on Gaza must end immediately and urged a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and unhindered humanitarian access.

The secretary-general said a two-state solution — "Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as the capital of both states" — is both a necessity and increasingly at risk. "A 2 state future is disappearing before our eyes, and we need to revert this trend," he said.

Nut graf: The secretary-general framed the current situation in Gaza as a humanitarian and legal emergency, saying collective punishment and policies that limit food and aid violate international norms and should be reversed as part of a broader push toward a two-state settlement.

In a series of remarks, the secretary-general described conditions in Gaza as "beyond description, beyond atrocious, and beyond inhumane," and said, "A policy of siege and starvation makes a mockery of international law." He reiterated that the United Nations has condemned forced displacement and has consistently advocated for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian assistance.

"The blockade against humanitarian aid must end immediately," he said, adding later that "nothing justifies the atrocious October 7 terror attacks by Hamas, but nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people." The secretary-general called for the "unconditional release of all hostages, the free flow of humanitarian aids, and the irreversible action towards a 2 state solution."

He said the United Nations Secretariat lacks the power to unilaterally end the fighting and pointed to the U.N. Security Council's inability to act because of vetoes, but pledged the U.N.'s continued advocacy: "the secretary to the United Nations and the secretary general will not will not lose 1 single minute in the attempt to convince the whole of the international community that they must put pressure on Israel for the military operations to end and for a permanent ceasefire together with the release of hostages and together with unlimited support to the population in Gaza."

The secretary-general urged leaders to use an upcoming high-level conference in June, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as an opportunity to mobilize international support for a two-state solution. He described the conference as "an important opportunity we cannot lose. This is a moment for moral clarity and concrete action."

He also called attention to people across the region who seek "a future of justice, dignity, human rights, security, peace," and explicitly mentioned Lebanon and Yemen among countries whose people deserve progress toward peace and rights.

Ending: The secretary-general concluded by urging coordinated international pressure for a ceasefire, humanitarian access and renewed diplomatic efforts toward a two-state solution, and said the U.N. will work with partners in the forthcoming June conference.