UN chief urges immediate Gaza ceasefire

21/8/2025 10:21

United Nations 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," to avoid the death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would cause, Guterres said in Japan where he is attending a conference on African development. He also called on Israel to reverse a decision to expand "illegal" settlement construction in the West Bank. (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Himani Sarkar)