STORY: Relocation of Gaza residents extremely dangerous: UN chief
DATELINE: Oct. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:54
LOCATION: UN headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres walking to the podium
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
3. Guterres speaking
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
5. various of Guterres leaving

STORYLINE:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that the relocation of Gaza residents from the north to the south as ordered by the Israeli military is extremely dangerous.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"The situation in Gaza has reached a dangerous new low. The horrific terror attacks by Hamas on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and injured thousands more last Saturday were followed by intense bombardment of Gaza that has already killed 1,800 people, and injured thousands more. After days of airstrikes, the Israeli Defense Forces have ordered the Palestinians in Gaza City and its surroundings to move to the south of the territory. Moving more than 1 million people across a densely populated warzone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory is under siege, is extremely dangerous, and in some cases, simply not possible. Hospitals in the south of Gaza are already at capacity and will not be able to accept thousands of new patients from the north. The health system is on the brink of collapse. Morgues are overflowing; 11 healthcare staff have been killed while on duty; and there have been 34 attacks on health facilities in the past few days. The entire territory faces a water crisis as infrastructure has been damaged and there is no electricity to power pumps and desalination plants."

Guterres called for immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza so that fuel, food and water can be provided to people in need.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"We need immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza, so that we can get fuel, food and water to everyone in need. Even wars have rules. International humanitarian law and human rights law must be respected and upheld; civilians must be protected and also never used as shields. And all hostages in Gaza must be released immediately. It is imperative that all parties - and those with influence over them - do everything possible to achieve these steps. Finally, I want to say something about the hatred that is being stoked by this terrible conflict - across the Middle East and around the world. The dehumanizing language that incites violence is never accepted. I call on all leaders to speak out against antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and hate speech of all kinds. This is a time for the international community to come together around protecting civilians and finding a lasting solution to this unending cycle of death and destruction."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN headquarters.
(XHTV)