In an unprecedented event, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, sent a letter to the President of the UN Security Council, Ecuadorian José De La Gasca, about the situation in the Gaza Strip before the increase in hostilities between Israel and the Hamas group.

It is the first time since taking office in 2017 that Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the United Nations Charter.

The article states that “the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

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In the letter, Guterres points out that the Israeli bombings are causing a “threatening total collapse of public order.”

“Amid continuous shelling by the Israeli forces and without shelter and without the bare minimum for survival, I anticipate the impending total collapse of law and order due to desperate circumstances, which would make even limited humanitarian assistance impossible,” he noted on.

“An even worse situation could emerge, including epidemics and increased pressure for mass displacement to neighboring countries,” he added.

While humanitarian assistance through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is “insufficient,” “we are simply unable to reach those who need help in Gaza,” he added.

“The capacity of the United Nations and its humanitarian partners has been decimated by supply shortages, lack of fuel, disruption of communications and increasing insecurity,” he said.

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“We face a serious risk of the collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is rapidly deteriorating towards a catastrophe that could have irreversible consequences for the Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region,” Guterres warns.

“The international community has a responsibility to use all its influence to prevent further escalation and put an end to this crisis,” he recalled before urging Security Council members to “press for a ​to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.”

“The Secretary General is invoking one of the few powers given to him by the Charter,” said his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, who described it as a “dramatic gesture” since Article 99 has been missing “for decades” had been invoked.

“We would like to see the Security Council call for a humanitarian ceasefire,” he added. (JO)