UN chief urges support for Palestinian right to self-determination on Solidarity Day

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called for renewed global support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, saying Palestinian suffering has reached “unprecedented levels” over the past two years.

In a statement marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, observed annually on 29 November, Guterres said the commemoration comes after “two years of immense suffering and the subsequent urgent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, referring to the genocide carried out by Israel.

Guterres said Palestinians who survived the war in Gaza “mourn the loss of tens of thousands of friends and family members — nearly one-third of them children,” while facing widespread hunger, disease, psychological trauma, and the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals.

He also condemned continued Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, citing military operations, settler violence, settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions, and threats of annexation.

The Secretary-General paid tribute to the hundreds of Palestinian humanitarian workers killed during the conflict, most of them UN staff, calling it “the greatest loss of personnel in the history of the Organization.”

Guterres reiterated the UN’s commitment to a just and lasting peace based on international law and the two-state solution, urging the international community to stand firmly behind the Palestinian people in their pursuit of freedom, dignity, and statehood.

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