The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, was at the RAFAH CROSSING in Egypt. On Saturday, he saw a lot of trucks waiting in line and said it was necessary to send much-needed supplies to Gaza to stop the starvation, which he called a “moral outrage.” He also called for an immediate end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Guterres addressed the situation from the Egyptian side of the border, near the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Despite numerous warnings of a potential disaster, Israel plans to launch a ground attack in the area, where over half of Gaza’s residents have sought shelter.

Guterres stated that any additional attack will only exacerbate the situation – for Palestinian civilians, hostages, and all individuals in the area.

One day later, he spoke following the failure of the United Nations Security Council to agree on the phrasing of a resolution supported by the U.S., which advocated for a cease-fire that would begin and continue without interruption.

Guterres has mentioned multiple times the challenges of providing assistance to Gaza, a responsibility that many global aid organizations have placed on Israel.

“The scene at this intersection reveals both heartache and cruelty… A line of relief trucks is halted at one side of the gates, casting a looming shadow of starvation on the other,” he expressed.

Mohammed Abdel-Fadefeil Shousha, the governor, announced that there are approximately 7,000 assistance trucks in Egypt’s North Sinai province that are ready to go into Gaza.

Guterres stated: “Israel must make a firm pledge to allow full access for humanitarian goods to Gaza. Additionally, in the spirit of compassion during Ramadan, all hostages should be released immediately.” He went on to say to reporters that a humanitarian cease-fire and hostage release should happen simultaneously.

Hamas is suspected of holding approximately 100 individuals captive and also possessing the remains of 30 others who were captured during their attack on October 7, resulting in a death toll of approximately 1,200 individuals, primarily innocent civilians. This attack was the catalyst for the war.

When inquired about Guterres’ remarks, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned a statement made on social media by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in which he accused the U.N. chief of tolerating an “antisemitic and anti-Israeli” stance within the organization.

Approximately 1.5 million Palestinians are currently seeking refuge in Rafah as a result of fleeing from Israel’s military campaign in other areas.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated on Thursday that a potential Israeli ground attack on Rafah would be a mistake and not necessary for defeating Hamas. This marks a change in stance for the US, as their officials have determined that there is no feasible approach to protect civilians from harm.

Netanyahu has vowed to press forward with military-approved plans for the offensive, which he has said is crucial to achieving the stated aim of destroying Hamas. The military has said Rafah is Hamas’ last major stronghold and ground forces must target four battalions remaining there.

Over the weekend, citizens of Israel gathered in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to demonstrate against Netanyahu and the administration. Concerns have been raised about the wellbeing of hostages in Gaza as the war enters its later stages.

The military attack led by Israel has resulted in the death of over 32,000 individuals, as stated by Gaza’s health authorities. It has also caused significant destruction of the area and forced approximately 80% of the population, which amounts to 2.3 million people, to leave their homes. According to the Health Ministry of Gaza, 72 bodies of those killed were brought to the hospital in the last day.

The Ministry of Health does not distinguish between non-combatants and soldiers, but has stated that the majority of the casualties are women and children. Israel holds Hamas responsible for the deaths of civilians and accuses them of operating in residential areas.

Violent clashes continued on Saturday near Gaza’s main hospital. The Israeli army claims to have taken down 170 militants at Shifa hospital since launching their attack on Monday. Yaron Finkelman, the commanding officer of the Southern Command, declared on Friday that they will not stop the operation until every terrorist is captured.

According to local residents in Gaza City, Israeli soldiers detonated multiple residential buildings.

Abdel-Hay Saad, a resident living on the western side of Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, stated that the entire area is being cleared out. Another resident, Mohammed al-Sheikh, reported that the Israeli attacks have been targeting anything that is in motion.

Video from the Associated Press displayed thick clouds of smoke rising above the hospital premises.

The Health Ministry said five wounded Palestinians trapped at Shifa had died without food, water, medical services. It previously said Israel’s military had detained health workers, patients and relatives inside the complex. The military claimed it wasn’t harming civilians, patients or workers.

On Friday, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, took to social media to express his opposition to these extremely cruel conditions.

In another location, an elderly female and five kids were killed during an Israeli airstrike in the area between Rafah and Khan Younis, according to health officials.

The lack of food has now become a fatal problem. Once again, there are accusations being exchanged between the U.N. and Israel’s government about the failure to provide aid to the northern region of Gaza. This area was the initial focus of Israel’s attack during the war, and heartbroken parents have witnessed their children searching for bread in the debris.

The United Nations agency responsible for providing assistance to Palestinian refugees, which is crucial in Gaza, has been denied permission by Israel to deliver an aid convoy to the northern part of the region, according to Guterres. The agency, referred to as UNRWA, reported that it has been two months since they were last able to reach the area.

The government of Israel responded by restating that a large number of aid trucks are currently waiting for the U.N. and their partners to facilitate its distribution.

“I do not have time for false information. It is sufficient,” replied UNRWA’s director of communications, Juliette Touma, in a statement to AP.

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Samy Magdy and Sam Metz filed this report from Cairo and Rabat, Morocco respectively, with contributions from Jack Jeffery based in Jerusalem.

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Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war