Secretary-General's Message for 2025

This year’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People comes after two years of horrific suffering in Gaza – and the start of a much-needed ceasefire.

Survivors are mourning the deaths of tens of thousands of friends and family – nearly a third of them children – and thousands more have been injured. Hunger, disease and trauma run rampant, while schools, homes and hospitals lie in ruins.

Injustice also continues in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with Israeli military operations, settler violence, settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions and threats of annexation.

At the same time, hundreds of humanitarians have been killed. The majority were Palestinian UN staff, marking the largest loss of personnel in the Organization’s history. More journalists have perished than in any conflict since the Second World War.

In so many ways, this tragedy has tested the norms and laws that have guided the international community for generations. The killing of so many civilians, the repeated displacement of an entire population and the obstruction of humanitarian aid should never be acceptable under any circumstances.

The recent ceasefire offers a glimmer of hope. It is now vital that all parties respect it fully and work in good faith towards solutions that restore and uphold international law. This includes returning the remains of the hostages from the 7 October attacks, promptly and in a dignified manner, to grieving families in Israel.

Lifesaving humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter Gaza at scale, and the international community must continue to stand firmly with UNRWA — an irreplaceable lifeline for millions of Palestinians, including Palestine refugees.

I repeat my call for an end to the unlawful occupation of the Palestinian Territory — as affirmed by the International Court of Justice and the General Assembly — and for irreversible progress towards a two-State solution, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within their secure and recognized borders, on the basis of pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.

On this International Day of Solidarity, let us draw inspiration from the Palestinian people themselves, whose resilience and hope are a testament to the human spirit. Let us stand in solidarity with their rights to dignity, justice and self-determination — and work together to build a peaceful future for all.