United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has accused Israel of obstructing the implementation of the Gaza peace plan and blocking the effective delivery of humanitarian aid, in an interview on Tuesday on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

Speaking to Türkiye's Anadolu Agency, Guterres said the international community had failed over Gaza and that responsibility lay with specific actors. He said the ceasefire agreed last year was not holding.

"There was a ceasefire, but the ceasefire is not being respected. Children go on dying, and that is something horrible," he said.

Obstacles to the peace plan

Guterres said a peace plan endorsed by the UN Security Council was progressing very slowly, and accused Israel of creating obstacles to its implementation and to the delivery of humanitarian assistance. "Israel has created many obstacles for the implementation of the peace plan, as it has created obstacles for effective humanitarian aid in Gaza. And this situation must end," he said.

He called for full humanitarian access and for both phases of the peace plan to be completed, so Gaza's population could have a chance to recover. The remarks were reported by Anadolu Agency and by Petra.

Warning over the West Bank

The UN chief also warned about the occupied West Bank, describing the situation there as "absolutely unacceptable", and pointed to new settlements, evictions and settler violence against Palestinians, journalists and diplomats.

"There is a clear intention of progressively occupying more and more land, which gives the indication that in the end the objective is annexation," he said, adding: "That is absolutely unacceptable. We must guarantee that this is avoided at all costs."

Guterres said the two-state solution must remain viable and be implemented, calling it the only way to secure lasting peace in the Middle East.