Two years on from 7 October, UN Relief Chief urges action to protect civilians, sustain ‘glimmer of hope’

07 October 2025

Statement on Gaza by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

Two years on since Hamas and other armed groups carried out those abhorrent attacks in Israel, as I’ve seen and heard from meeting the survivors and the families of those taken, the pain is indescribable.

Today, I renew my call for the unconditional, immediate release of all the hostages – and until then, they must be treated humanely.

Civilians everywhere have to be protected.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. Hundreds of thousands endure starvation and displacement.

So we renew the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for all civilians to be protected, and for humanitarian aid to flow freely at the scale needed.

There’s now a glimmer of hope that this can happen. We must keep it alive.

Related content:

• UN Palestinian Rights Committee Chair’s Statement on 7 October and the Situation in Gaza – Question of Palestine
• ‘Release the Hostages, End the Suffering’, Says Secretary-General, Marking 7 October Anniversary [EN/AR] – Question of Palestine
• UNICEF: Two years of hellish war have devastated Gaza’s children – Question of Palestine
• Statement by Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, Marking Two Years Since 7 October 2023 – Question of Palestine