Guterres has called on all warring parties to respect international humanitarian law, saying he was “distressed” by Israel’s push to impose a full blockade on Gaza.

“I am deeply distressed by today’s announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip – nothing allowed in, no electricity, food or fuel,” Guterres said.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities. Now it will only deteriorate exponentially.”

The UN chief also put the current violence in the context of the broader conflict, saying that the latest developments did not happen “in a vacuum”.

“The reality is that it grows out of a long standing conflict with a 56-year-long occupation and no political end in sight. It’s time to end this vicious cycle of bloodshed, hatred and polarisation,” Guterres said.

Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi is at the United Nations monitoring the developments.

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