UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, one day before the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. In a statement posted on the social media platform X, he said it was time for the truce to become permanent, for humanitarian aid to be allowed in at scale, and for international law to be respected.
Mr. Guterres also urged all parties to meet their commitments in full and to move to the next phase of the ceasefire, based on the comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza. He called for a political path to lasting peace across the whole region and said the UN remained firmly committed to that goal. He asked that the anniversary mark not only mourning but a renewed determination to build a future in which Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace and security, with their rights, dignity and aspirations fulfilled.
The statement addressed the suffering on both sides. Mr. Guterres called the Hamas-led attack abhorrent, noting that it killed more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and that 251 people were taken hostage. He mourned those killed in the attacks and those who died in captivity, saying their suffering and their families' grief must not be forgotten. He said the devastating hostilities that followed had brought unspeakable suffering to Palestinians in Gaza, including massive loss of life, displacement and destruction, and that civilians still endure unbearable conditions. "Their suffering, too, demands an end, now," he said.
Israel's military campaign has killed more than 74,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures the UN considers reliable. Al Jazeera reports that the war has also destroyed about 90 percent of buildings and infrastructure in the territory.
The current truce was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025. Mr. Guterres said it brought some relief but has yet to deliver security, adequate humanitarian assistance or a credible path to recovery and peace. The political future of the territory remains uncertain. Israel, which still controls most of Gaza, refuses to withdraw its troops until Hamas's disarmament has been verified. Hamas, for its part, advocates gradual disarmament rather than an immediate, unilateral handover of its weapons.
The conflict has also widened since 2023. Israel has fought on several fronts, including an invasion of southern Lebanon to confront Hezbollah, the Tehran-backed Islamist movement, and a war against Iran launched in late February alongside the United States. The disagreement over disarmament and withdrawal is the central obstacle to the ceasefire's next phase, which is why Mr. Guterres's appeal centres on moving that process forward.