(Credit:  Gary Raynaldo ©Diplomatic Times)  UN Secretary-General António Guterres at press briefing at  UN world headquarters in New York City June 18, 2021.

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres  on Monday condemned Israel’s “devastating” weekend strike on a school in Gaza that killed more than 100 Palestinians including women and children.

“The Secretary-General condemns the continued loss of life in Gaza, including women and children, as we witness yet another devastating strike by Israel on the Al-Taba’een school in Gaza City, sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinian families, with scores of fatalities, amidst continued horror, displacement, and suffering in Gaza,” UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters at a news conference.  

Haq said the Secretary-General reiterates his urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.  He added that Secretary-General Guterrez is dismayed to see that the provisions of UN Security Council resolution 2735 (2024) remain unimplemented and that he welcomes the mediation efforts of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar leaders, and urges both sides to rejoin negotiations and conclude the ceasefire and hostages release deal. Adopted in June, the resolution proposes a comprehensive three-phase ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel to end the war in Gaza, now in its 10th month. Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.