UN chief Guterres calls on Hamas to 'immediately' release hostages without conditions

NEW YORK: The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres has called on Hamas to "immediately" release the hostages without keeping any sort of conditions.

In a post on social media platform X, Guterres made two humanitarian appeals amid the present situation in the Middle East.

"As we are on the verge of the abyss in the Middle East, I have two humanitarian appeals: To Hamas, the hostages must be immediately released without conditions," he posted.

"To Israel, rapid & unimpeded access for humanitarian aid must be granted for the sake of the civilians in Gaza," he added. "Each one of these two objectives is valid in themselves. They should not become bargaining chips and they must be implemented because it is the right thing to do," Guterres said in a statement, adding that "Gaza is running out of water, electricity and other essential supplies," The Times of Israel reported. According to the latest update, 1300 people have been killed, with over 3600 injured, reported The Jerusalem Post.

Defence Minister Gallant said that on an estimate, 150-200 Israelis are being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, adding, "We are making every effort to locate them even in this great complexity." According to the latest update, 1,300 people have been killed and over 3600 injured in the Hamas terror attacks, reported The Jerusalem Post. As Israel continues to retaliate against Hamas, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Hamas thought Israel would break, but "We will break Hamas," reported The Times of Israel.

During the weekly cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister along with ministers stood in silence for a minute and paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the deadly Hamas attack. "Hamas thought we would break; we will break Hamas," Netanyahu said.

He further stressed that Israel is working in unity and it conveys a clear message to Hamas and to the world. "We are working around the clock as a team, with a united front," he says. "Our unity conveys a clear message to the people, the enemy, and to the world," he added. The ministers shared a moment of silence, during which, Netanyahu said, "In memory of our brothers and sisters who were murdered in cold blood, and our heroic warriors who fell in battle." Netanyahu noted that it was the first meeting of the emergency war government and that five members of the National Unity Party were present Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Chili Tropper, Gideon Sa'ar, and Yifat Shasha-Biton.

Moreover, he emphasized that the entire nation is behind the front-line warriors of Israel. "I saw our wonderful warriors who are now on the front line. They know that the entire nation is behind them," he said. "They understand the magnitude of the task. They are ready to act at any moment, to exterminate the bloody monsters that rose up against us," he added.