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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said nothing can justify the atrocities committed during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, calling for an end to the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians three years on.
In a message released on Monday, Guterres described the attacks as an abhorrent, large-scale act of terror in which more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed.
Civilians were deliberately targeted in their homes, communities and at a music festival, while another 251 people, including women, children and older people, were abducted and taken to Gaza as hostages.
Guterres said the hostages suffered horrific abuse in captivity, including torture, sexual violence and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Some were killed by their captors or during the hostilities that followed.
“Nothing can justify these atrocities,” he said.
“I have met with Israeli families whose worlds were shattered that day and listened to survivors who continue to carry deep physical and emotional scars,” Guterres said.
He also recalled the “untold suffering” inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza as a result of the hostilities that followed.
According to UN agencies, Israeli military operations have killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, and wounded more than 100,000.
Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million people have been displaced, while much of the territory has been reduced to ruins. Gaza also has the world’s highest proportion of child amputees, according to the UN.
“Civilians continue to endure intolerable conditions,” he said. “Their suffering, too, demands an end, now.”
The ceasefire reached in October 2025 has brought some relief, Guterres said, but has not yet delivered security, adequate humanitarian assistance or a credible path towards recovery and lasting peace.
He urged all parties to fully implement their commitments and move to the next phase of the ceasefire under UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
UN agencies have reported that restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza continue, along with almost daily deadly attacks.
The UN humanitarian office, OCHA, said Israeli authorities suspended the entry of cargo into Gaza on Monday and announced another suspension for Wednesday, citing security concerns linked to the anniversary.
Guterres said it was now time for the ceasefire to become permanent and for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza at scale.
“Let this anniversary mark not only another year of mourning, but also a renewed determination to build a different future,” he said, in which Palestinians and Israelis can live together “with their rights, dignity and aspirations fulfilled.” Source: UN News