Gaza situation is 'morally, politically and legally intolerable', UN chief says

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday described the situation in Gaza as “morally, politically and legally intolerable”, saying the devastation and loss of life had reached levels unseen during his tenure.

Mr Guterres told reporters before the UN General Assembly that neighbourhoods were being destroyed amid the "systematic destruction of Gaza city".

"We are seeing massive killing of civilians in a way that I do not remember in any conflict since I am Secretary General,” he said. “We are seeing dramatic obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid. At a certain moment, it completely stopped.”

His comments came as Israel launched its long-anticipated ground offensive in Gaza city on Tuesday against Hamas militants. The operation has prompted widespread international alarm, with UN officials condemning the rising civilian casualties.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) concluded in a new report that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It urged governments to halt the violence and pursue accountability.

When asked about the findings, Mr Guterres said the legal determination of genocide did not alter his view that “what’s happening in Gaza … today is horrendous”, after Hamas’s attacks on Israel two years ago.

This month, France and Saudi Arabia are leading a UN summit in which several western governments, angered by what they see as Israeli intransigence, plan to recognise a Palestinian state.

Mr Guterres defended the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace.

“Israel must understand that the one-state solution in the subjugation of the Palestinian people without rights is absolutely intolerable. The two-state solution remains the only viable alternative. Without it, there will be no peace in the Middle East.”

Asked by The National whether he agreed with US and Israeli assessments that the growing number of states recognising Palestine was a “gift to Hamas”, Mr Guterres said: "The two-state solution is not something that is in Hamas's programme. It is a gift to the Palestinian people that have suffered also a lot, also because of Hamas.”

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

An arms embargo
A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods