The Secretary General of the United Nations warns that one is approaching a ‘point of no return’ in Gaza as the violence continues unabated.
By Nathan Morley
The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the cycles of deadly violence in the Holy Land risk reaching ‘point of no return.’
He also suggested that the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is nearing collapse, citing expanding Israeli settlements, forced displacement and de facto annexation.
Guterres said the cycles of violence, including attacks by extremist settlers, have entrenched an unlawful Israeli occupation and pushed the region “perilously close to a point of no return.”
He condemned Israel’s approval of construction in the E1 area, warning it would sever the West Bank and destroy the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state. “Israeli settlements are not just a political issue. They are a flagrant violation of international law,” he said.
Guterres praised France and Saudi Arabia for reviving a high-level conference on the two-state solution and welcomed recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood. He urged nations to build on the momentum.
On Gaza’s future, he called for a framework rooted in international law, rejecting ethnic cleansing and ensuring a clear path to statehood. He demanded an end to settler violence and annexation threats, and urged Israel to comply with International Court of Justice rulings.
“A just and lasting peace will never be built through more violence,” Guterres said. “It demands a collective commitment—to diplomacy, to international law, to the dignity of all people.”
Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump has said he will not allow Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank … It’s not going to happen,” Trump said.
President Trump also said a Gaza deal was “pretty close”.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s health authorities warned that hospital departments are on the verge of collapse due to a fuel shortage, placing patients and the wounded at “risk of certain death.”
Efforts to ration generator power have failed, prompting an urgent appeal for fuel deliveries. The warning came a day after Israeli strikes forced Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital and Nasser Eye Hospital to shut down. The Nasser facility was Gaza’s only public ophthalmology hospital. Health officials said both were rendered non-functional “following repeated shelling.”
