UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on Israel to allow access to food, water and medicines in Gaza. Guterres says civilians are facing a deadly escalation as Israel prepares for a military takeover of Gaza.

He was briefing the media on Gaza’s latest developments in New York.

“Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law. Hostages taken by Hamas and other groups must be released, and the atrocious treatment they have been forced to endure must stop. Civilians must be protected. Famine is no longer a looming possibility; it’s a present-day catastrophe. People are dying from hunger.”

UN statement on Gaza