United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked a rarely used measure on Wednesday to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, representing the UN’s attempts to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave amid the Israel-Hamas war.
In the hours that ensued after the announcement, reactions varied from those who viewed it a symbolic gesture to others who saw the timing tied to a push by the United Arab Emirates — the only Arab country on the United Nations Security Council — for a cease-fire.
What happened: In a letter to UN Security Council President Jose Javier De la Gasca Lopez Dominguez, Guterres cited Article 99 of the UN Charter and called for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Guterres cited the “severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system” in Gaza, adding that “the situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.”
