UN Secretary-General António Guterres said any international stabilisation force for Gaza must have "full international legitimacy," preferably via a clear UN Security Council mandate, warning the fragile ceasefire could collapse without strong guarantees. He praised U.S. pressure for securing the truce but noted reported repeated violations and insufficient humanitarian aid in Gaza. Guterres also condemned the RSF capture of el-Fasher in Sudan and urged an end to foreign arms flows. He called for Security Council reform, including two permanent African seats and limits on vetoes in mass-atrocity situations.
Guterres: Gaza Stabilisation Force Must Have "Full International Legitimacy" — UN Mandate Needed to Prevent Renewed Fighting
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said any international stabilisation force for Gaza must have "full international legitimacy," preferably via a clear UN Security Council mandate, warning the fragile ceasefire could collapse without strong guarantees. He praised U.S. pressure for securing the truce but noted reported repeated violations and insufficient humanitarian aid in Gaza. Guterres also condemned the RSF capture of el-Fasher in Sudan and urged an end to foreign arms flows. He called for Security Council reform, including two permanent African seats and limits on vetoes in mass-atrocity situations.
17:09, 05.11.2025Conflict
UN chief urges international legitimacy for any Gaza stabilisation force
Doha, Qatar — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that any international stabilisation force deployed to Gaza must have "full international legitimacy" — ideally a clear UN Security Council (UNSC) mandate — if it is to effectively support Palestinians in the besieged territory.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic at the Second World Summit for Social Development, Guterres said the fragile truce that followed "horrific suffering and famine" in the coastal enclave requires strong international guarantees to hold.
"It is important the force that is created have full international legitimacy to deal with the parties and the population of Gaza," he said.
The idea of an international presence in Gaza is included in a 20-point Gaza plan proposed by U.S. political leaders, but which countries would participate remains highly contentious. Israel — backed by the United States — has rejected any on-the-ground role for Türkiye (Turkey), despite Ankara’s prominent role as a ceasefire mediator. Türkiye has repeatedly condemned Israel’s campaign, called it genocidal, and this week convened senior talks urging Israel to respect the truce and to allow more humanitarian relief into Gaza.
Guterres emphasized that a UNSC mandate is "the source of legitimacy" for any stabilisation mission and warned that without clear international backing the risk of renewed fighting would be high. He also credited U.S. pressure with bringing Israel to accept the current ceasefire, saying: "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." Still, he cautioned the pause in fighting remains precarious: "It was essential to stop the war and release hostages … but this is all very fragile."
According to Gaza officials, Israel has breached the truce more than 80 times, and hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks. Guterres warned that humanitarian deliveries to the Gaza Strip remain far below what is required: "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."
Sudan: outrage after el-Fasher capture
Turning to Sudan, Guterres described the civil war as "absolutely intolerable" after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on October 26 following the withdrawal of the Sudanese army. He reported "horrible violations of the most basic rights — sexual violence, people being killed, being denied humanitarian aid."
The army and the RSF have been fighting for control of Sudan since April 2023 in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian disaster. Guterres said the UN, together with organisations including the African Union, is trying to bring the parties to the negotiating table, but noted that achieving dialogue will be "extremely difficult" after the events in el-Fasher. He urged the international community to apply "enormous pressure" on both sides and to stop foreign flows of weapons that fuel the conflict.
Calls for Security Council reform
Guterres also criticised the structure of the UN Security Council, saying it "corresponds to the world of 1945 with some small adjustments." He pointed out that Europe still holds three permanent seats while Africa and Latin America have none and Asia has only one. He urged reforms to make the council more representative and effective, including adding two permanent African seats and limiting the use of vetoes in cases of mass atrocities. He highlighted recent proposals from France and the UK to restrict veto use in situations involving extreme violations of human rights.
Key facts: the UN chief urged international legitimacy for any force in Gaza, warned humanitarian aid remains inadequate to avert famine, condemned human rights violations in Sudan after the RSF seized el-Fasher on Oct. 26, and called for UNSC reform to better reflect today's geopolitical realities.