UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after Israel announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City.
It is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that was necessary to avoid the death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause, Guterres said in Japan where he is attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.
Israel, which has called up tens of thousands of army reservists, is pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians. Israel holds about 75 of the Gaza Strip.