UN chief urges immediate ceasefire on Rafah visit

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate ceasefire. He also called on Israel to give humanitarian goods unfettered access. A UN-backed food security assessment this week said 1. 1 million people in Gaza were struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation.

It added that a man-made famine in the north was imminent between now and May. The Rafah crossing is one of the main points of entry for aid into Gaza. Long queues of trucks with aid are waiting for Israeli approval to cross. Israel denies that it is holding up humanitarian relief and says that inspection is needed to make sure that Hamas will not divert aid.

More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel#39;s retaliatory air strikes and its continuing ground offensive, the Hamas-run health ministry says. Mr Guterres met humanitarian aid workers in el-Arish, the Egyptian city closest to Gaza. He later visited a hospital where injured Palestinians are being treated. More than half of Gaza#39;s 2.

3 million Palestinians are sheltering in the southern city. Israel says Hamas leaders are hiding and Hamas battalions still operate. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defied international criticism of the planned offensive. He says no international pressure will stop Israel from achieving all of its war aims.