UN chief warns Gaza stabilisation force must have international legitimacy
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, speaks during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, 10 September 2024
Usaid Siddiqui reports in Al Jazeera on 5 November 2025:
Doha, Qatar – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that any stabilisation force in Gaza must have “full international legitimacy” to support Palestinians in Gaza.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Tuesday at the Second World Summit for Social Development, Guterres said the truce achieved in the besieged and bombarded coastal enclave after “horrific suffering and famine” remained delicate and needs international guarantees.
“It is important the force that is created have full international legitimacy to deal with the parties and the population of Gaza.”
The proposed international force for Gaza was part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. But which nations comprise that force remains contentious. Israel, with US backing, has already said it will not accept Turkiye, a key Gaza ceasefire mediator, having any role on the ground. Turkiye, which has repeatedly condemned Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, held a top-level meeting this week demanding Israel stop violating the truce and allow crucial humanitarian aid to enter the embattled Palestinian enclave.
Despite criticism, Guterres said a mandate from the UN Security Council (UNSC) remains “the source of legitimacy” for any stabilisation force, warning that without it, the risk of renewed conflict remains high.
The UN chief also praised the US for bringing Israel to accept the current ceasefire. “The government of Israel had other intentions … which were to conduct the war up to the end, but the Americans, at a certain moment, understood that enough was enough,” he noted.Nevertheless, he warned that the ceasefire remained delicate.
“It was essential to stop the war and release hostages … but this is all very fragile,” he said. According to Gaza officials, Israel has violated the deal upwards of 80 times, killing hundreds of Palestinians in the last four weeks. Moreover, Guterres warned that aid entering the Gaza Strip remains far below what is needed.
“Humanitarian aid has improved … but we are far from what is necessary to eliminate famine quickly, and to create the conditions for the people in Gaza to have the very, very minimum that is necessary for dignity in life,” he warned.