Make Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire Permanent, Allow Humanitarian Assistance at Scale, Secretary-General Urges in Message Marking Third Anniversary of 7 October
Three years ago, on 7 October 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched an abhorrent, large-scale terror attack on Israel, brutally killing more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals.
Civilians were deliberately targeted and murdered in their homes, in their communities and at a music festival. A total of 251 people were abducted and taken into the Gaza Strip as hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Their captors subjected the hostages to horrific abuse in captivity, including torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and sexual violence. Some were killed by their captors or during the ensuing hostilities. Nothing can justify these atrocities.
Three years on, the pain of 7 October endures for the families who lost loved ones, for survivors and for all those whose lives were forever changed. I have met with Israeli families whose worlds were shattered that day and listened to survivors who continue to carry deep physical and emotional scars. I have heard from former hostages about the unthinkable torment they and other captives endured as they were held in Gaza in deplorable conditions and the anguish and uncertainty suffered by their families throughout their captivity. I am profoundly relieved for all those who have regained their freedom and been reunited with their loved ones. I mourn those who were killed in the attacks and those who died in captivity. Their suffering, and the enduring grief of their families, must never be forgotten.
These horrors must never be repeated. The devastating hostilities that followed have inflicted untold suffering on Palestinians in Gaza, including massive loss of life, displacement and destruction. Civilians continue to endure intolerable conditions. Their suffering, too, demands an end — now.
Last year’s ceasefire brought some relief. But, it has yet to deliver security, adequate humanitarian assistance or a credible path to recovery and peace.
I urge all parties to implement their commitments in full and advance to the next phase of the ceasefire, on the basis of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. It is time for the ceasefire to become permanent. It is time to allow humanitarian assistance at scale. And it is time to respect international law. We must build the political path to lasting peace across the whole region. The United Nations remains unwavering in its commitment to these imperatives.
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.