War between Israel and Gaza, live | US sees no sign that Hamas is planning attacks against its troops in Gaza International

UN Secretary-General says, “I urge Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this Thursday urged Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement and thus prevent the war in the Gaza Strip from getting “exponentially” worse.

“For the well-being of the people of Gaza, the hostages and their families in Israel, and for the well-being of the region and the world, I urge the Government of Israel and the leaders of Hamas to reach an agreement. Without it, I fear that war will , with all its consequences, will worsen exponentially,” Guterres said from La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, where he met Chilean President Gabriel Boric.

The Islamist group is considering how to respond to Israel after its latest proposal to seal a ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian enclave, where Israeli troops have killed nearly 35,000 people since October 7, mostly Palestinians. There are women and children.

A Hamas source said in Cairo on Thursday that it would respond in a “very short” time, perhaps “early next week.”

According to the same source, who requested anonymity, Hamas officials are immersed in negotiations and do not want to report whether “progress has been made or not” because “it is too early.”

Guterres, who traveled to Chile to chair the Joint Chiefs of Executives of the United Nations system, also warned about the impact of the military attack on Rafah, a city located in the south of the Gaza Strip, close to the border with Egypt. , which has been bombed over the past few weeks.

“A military attack on Rafah would mean an unbearable escalation that would kill thousands of civilians and force hundreds of thousands to flee. It would have a devastating impact on the Palestinians of Gaza, as well as serious consequences for the occupied West Bank and the entire region area”, he said.

Boryk, for his part, said that “in the months that the war in Gaza has been going on, more than twice as many civilians have been killed in Ukraine as in the conflict between the two powerful armies in the last two years.”

“That is not the case here. The Israeli government led by Mr. Netanyahu bears responsibility for what is happening today, it is a unilateral genocide and it must stop. We call for a ceasefire and support for the victims,” ​​stressed . President of Chile, one of the region’s most critical voices against Israel’s aggression.

It is Guterres’ second visit to Chile after last November, when he traveled with Boryk to Antarctica to observe the effects of climate change.