UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared that the crisis in Gaza has transcended humanitarian concern and entered the realm of a profound moral catastrophe—one that lays bare the shocking failure of the international community to uphold the values of justice, human rights, and dignity.

Speaking virtually to Amnesty International’s Global Assembly on Friday, Guterres delivered a sobering indictment of the ongoing Israeli aggression, describing it as “the relentless Israeli onslaught on Gaza” and asserting that the scale of death and destruction since October 7 is “beyond anything we have seen in recent times.”

“Nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction,” Guterres said. “This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.”

He criticized the deafening silence and paralysis of many world powers, condemning what he described as “powerful forces ranged against human rights” and an international system that is rapidly losing credibility due to inaction, indifference, and complicity.

“I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community. The lack of compassion. The lack of truth. The lack of humanity,” he said.

The UN chief drew attention to the harrowing reality facing Palestinians in Gaza, especially children who speak of wanting to die just to find food in heaven, and humanitarian workers who are so traumatized that they say they feel "neither dead nor alive."

Guterres also revealed that since May 27, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed simply trying to access food, underscoring the horrific weaponization of hunger in a besieged and blockaded territory.

The Gaza Strip—where over 59,000 Palestinians have been killed in nine months of Israeli bombardment—is now seen by many as the site of a slow-motion genocide, where food, water, and medical supplies have been deliberately cut off, and civilians—especially children—bear the brunt of daily massacres.

Calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the UN Secretary-General demanded the unconditional release of all hostages and full humanitarian access to Gaza, where UNRWA staff and aid workers continue to be targeted.

Pro-Palestinian activists and rights organizations worldwide welcomed Guterres’s remarks as a long-overdue truth-telling moment, breaking through a wall of silence and media manipulation that has shielded Israel’s crimes from meaningful accountability.

Human rights observers emphasized that Gaza has become a symbol of global moral collapse, where international law is trampled with impunity and Palestinians are denied not only peace but even the most basic right to exist.

Guterres’s impassioned address comes amid increased global outrage, mounting protests, and growing calls for sanctions and prosecution of Israeli officials for war crimes.

“The world is watching,” one activist in London said. “But Guterres is right—the question is: Does the world still have a conscience?” (ILKHA)