UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press outside the Security Council Chamber at the UN headquarters in New York, on Nov. 27, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2712, which calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout Gaza, is "woefully insufficient."

"I welcome the adoption of Resolution 2712. But its implementation by the parties matters most," he told a high-level meeting of the Security Council. "So far it is clear that implementation has been only partial at best, and is woefully insufficient."

Ultimately, the measure of success will not be the number of trucks dispatched or the tons of supplies delivered -- as important as these are. Success will be measured in lives that are saved, suffering that is ended, and hope and dignity that is restored, he said.

"The people of Gaza are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe before the eyes of the world. We must not look away. Intense negotiations are taking place to prolong the truce, which we strongly welcome. But we believe we need a true humanitarian cease-fire," said Guterres.

There is also a need to ensure the people of the region finally have a horizon of hope -- by moving in a determined and irreversible way toward establishing a two-state solution, on the basis of UN resolutions and international law, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, he said.

"Failure will condemn Palestinians, Israelis, the region and the world, to a never-ending cycle of death and destruction," he warned.

Guterres briefed the council on the implementation of its Resolution 2712, which was adopted two weeks ago.

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