UN chief urges 'unconditional' release of hostages in Gaza

TORONTO, Canada

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met Friday with the families of American hostages who have been held in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to a statement.

Guterres reiterated his urgent call for an immediate and "unconditional" release of all hostages, including human remains, it said.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, in which 1,163 people were killed.

More than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.