Guterres: Aid access to Gaza is non-negotiable

UN Secretary-General António Guterres affirmed on Wednesday that aid provided to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is a "non-negotiable" issue.

"For nearly two months, Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine, and commercial supplies from entering Gaza, depriving more than two million people of life-saving relief," he said in a post on the X platform.

The Gaza Strip, with a population of approximately 2.4 million, is almost entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, which has been completely halted since March 2, when Israel closed the crossings. This has caused a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation for Palestinians, according to government, human rights, and international reports.

The UN Secretary-General stressed that "aid is non-negotiable."

He stressed that "Israel must protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza and approve and facilitate relief programs."