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March 25, 2025 | 11:04 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, announced the reduction of UN presence in Gaza on Monday, following the increased Israeli attacks and growing threats to the organization's humanitarian personnel.
"In the past week, Israel carried out devastating strikes on Gaza, claiming the lives of hundreds of civilians, including United Nations personnel, with no humanitarian aid being allowed to enter the Strip since early March," a statement from his spokesperson's office said.
"Based on currently available information, the strikes hitting a UN compound in Deir Al Balah on March 19 were caused by an Israeli tank," it said.
Guterres strongly condemned the Israeli attacks, which resulted in the death of a UN staff member from Bulgaria and serious injuries to six others.
"The location of the compound was well known to all the parties to the conflict," the statement said.
Guterres demanded a "full, thorough, and independent investigation" into the Israeli attacks and emphasized that all parties are "bound by international law to protect the absolute inviolability of UN premises."
"All States must use all their leverage to stop the conflict and ensure respect for international law – by applying diplomatic and economic pressure and combating impunity," it said.
While stating that Guterres "has taken the difficult decision to reduce the Organization’s footprint in Gaza, even as humanitarian needs soar and our concern over the protection of civilians intensifies," the statement emphasized: "The UN is not leaving Gaza."
"The Organization remains committed to continuing to provide aid that civilians depend on for their survival and protection," it said.
Furthermore, the statement noted that the Israeli government has blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza for over three weeks, calling it the "the longest such suspension since 7 October 2023," when the deadly attacks began.
He reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and urged to end the suffering in Gaza.
Meanwhile, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a press conference that the reduction is about a third this week and "maybe a bit more likely to come" in the coming days.
"It's a temporary measure. We hope to have people return to Gaza as soon as practicable," he said, as quoted from Anadolu.
Noting that there are about 100 international staff in Gaza, he said it was "done for security and operational reasons."
As a result of the reduction, Dujarric said humanitarian aid has still not entered since the Israeli attacks resumed, so "the vast majority of the distribution is being done by local staff."
He also said the agencies that will experience staff reductions include the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
ANADOLU
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