GAZA: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned the situation in besieged Gaza is declining rapidly as he repeated desperate appeals for a ceasefire to end the “nightmare” of bloodshed.

“The situation in Gaza is growing more desperate by the hour. I regret that instead of a critically needed humanitarian pause, supported by the international community, Israel has intensified its military operations,” Guterres said on a visit to Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it has received warnings from Israeli authorities to immediately evacuate Al-Quds hospital in the Gaza Strip.

“Since this morning, there has been raids 50 meters away from the hospital,” it added in a statement on Facebook.

Reporters Without Borders has criticised Israel’s stance that it cannot guarantee protection of journalists to news agencies in Gaza, saying that targeting the media is a “war crime”.

“This is an unacceptable failure of its obligation to uphold humanitarian law when so many journalists have already been killed,” it said in a post on X.