U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday that the Gaza cease-fire has failed to provide stability or sufficient relief, urging all parties to fulfill their obligations to achieve a lasting peace.
"Last year's cease-fire brought some relief. But it has yet to deliver security, adequate humanitarian assistance or a credible path to recovery and peace," Guterres said in a statement, ahead of the third anniversary of Oct. 7 incursion that triggered Israel's genocidal war.
The U.N. chief also called on all sides to advance to subsequent stages of the truce based on the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.
"It is time for the cease-fire to become permanent. It is time to allow humanitarian assistance at scale. And it is time to respect international law," he said, calling for a "political path to lasting peace across the whole region."
"Let this anniversary mark not only another year of mourning, but also a renewed determination to build a different future: one in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, with their rights, dignity, and aspirations fulfilled," Guterres said.
Addressing the origins of the conflict, Guterres condemned the Hamas incursion that caused 1,200 deaths in Israel and took 251 hostages.
He also said Palestinians in Gaza have faced a "massive loss of life, displacement and destruction," without specifying their death toll.
"Their suffering, too, demands an end, now," Guterres said.
Israel's two-year genocidal war on Gaza killed more than 74,200 people, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israel, which still controls most of Gaza, refuses to withdraw its soldiers until Hamas' disarmament has been verified.
Hamas, for its part, has advocated for gradual disarmament rather than immediate and unilateral surrender of its arsenal.
The Israeli army has killed 1,454 Palestinians and injured 5,090 others since the cease-fire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Since the 2023 incursion, Israel has waged military attacks on several fronts, notably invading southern Lebanon in the name of confronting Hezbollah and launching war against Iran in late February alongside the United States.
