“In the midst of so much bloodshed and division, we must hold on to hope,” said the head of the organization in a message released on the eve of the date that warned of the expansion of the war to Lebanon.

The top UN official called for the release of the hostages and the silencing of weapons.

“It is time to put an end to the suffering that devours the region. The time has come for peace, international law and justice,” he insisted.

The veteran diplomat also ratified the organization’s commitment to ending the crisis in the entire region and the path to stability in accordance with the principles of international law and justice.

In this regard, he urged the international community to “never stop working for a lasting solution” to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, where all the countries of the Middle East can finally live together “in peace, with dignity and with mutual respect.”

The date commemorates the actions that exacerbated the conflict in Gaza, including the bloody Israeli offensive that has claimed almost 43,000 lives and 96,000 wounded in the coastal enclave alone.

The Secretary General himself has stated that Hamas’ actions “did not occur in a vacuum,” but rather respond to decades of Israeli occupation, violations of Palestinian sovereignty and failure to fulfill promises for the establishment of a nation in its territories under Tel Aviv’s control.

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