THE UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his regret today on the “paralysis” of the United Nations in front of war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Stripsaying he regretted that the Security Council did not vote for a ceasefire.

Speaking before the Doha Forum, Guterres said the Security Council has been “paralyzed by geostrategic divisions”, thus jeopardizing its ability to find solutions to the war.

“The authority and credibility of the Security Council have been seriously compromised” by its delayed response to the conflict, a reputational blow made worse by the US veto yesterday, Friday, of a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. he further stated.

The draft resolution was drawn up following the unprecedented invocation by the UN secretary-general of Article 99 of the UN Charter which allows him to bring to the attention of the Security Council matters which “might endanger the maintenance of international peace and of international security”.

“I have reiterated my call for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared (…) unfortunately the Security Council has failed to do so,” Guterres lamented.

“I can promise I won’t put it down,” he added.

The Americans, Israel’s allies, reiterated on Friday that they oppose a ceasefire.

“We are in grave danger of the humanitarian system collapsing,” Guterres warned at the Doha Forum.

“The situation is rapidly evolving into a disaster with potentially irreversible consequences for the Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region,” he stressed.

Furthermore, the head of UNWRA, the UN aid agency for the Palestinians, said today that treating the Palestinians as if they were not human has allowed the international community to tolerate the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.

UNWRA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the refugee agency was on the verge of collapse in Gaza, adding that an immediate ceasefire was needed to end Gaza’s “hell on earth”.