UN chief says 'incremental progress' toward averting Gaza famine

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said there has been "incremental progress" toward averting "an entirely preventable, human-made famine" in the northern Gaza Strip, but much more is urgently needed. "I again call on the Israeli authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers, including UNRWA, throughout Gaza," he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said there has been "incremental progress" toward averting "an entirely preventable, human-made famine" in the northern Gaza Strip, but much more is urgently needed. He specifically called on Israel to follow through on its promise to open "two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan."

Guterres also told reporters that a major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza is a lack of security for aid workers and civilians. "I again call on the Israeli authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers, including UNRWA, throughout Gaza," he said.