UNITED NATIONS, United States, March  11, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday he was "appalled" by conflict
continuing in Gaza despite the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking after the failure of attempts to negotiate a ceasefire, Guterres
called for "silencing the guns" in Gaza and warned that "hunger and
malnutrition" are taking hold.

"This is heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable," Guterres told reporters.
"I am appalled and outraged that conflict is continuing in Gaza during this
holy month," he said, adding that "all obstacles" to aid delivery should be
removed.

The United Nations says that lack of humanitarian aid means famine is a
growing risk in Gaza, where 2.4 million people are under near-total siege by
the Israeli military, as it battles Hamas militants.

The war, started by a bloody October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has resulted
in the deaths of 31,112 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to
the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

US President Joe Biden called for a temporary ceasefire ahead of Ramadan
but his call went unanswered as Muslims in Gaza marked the start of the
one-month holiday Monday.

Guterres said, "The eyes of history are watching."

"We cannot look away. We must act to avoid more preventable deaths,"
Guterres said.

"We have witnessed month after month of civilian killing and destruction at
a level that is unprecedented in all my years as Secretary-General," he said.
But aid "is coming in trickles - if it comes at all. International
humanitarian law lies in tatters."