UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the world to keep pushing for a complete ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

He made this plea on February 7 during a meeting of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

Guterres spoke after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. could “take over” Gaza and asked Palestinians there to leave.

In his speech, the UN chief stressed that Palestinians have the right to live in their land as human beings.

However, he said that these rights are becoming harder to achieve. He also condemned the way Palestinians have been “dehumanized and demonized” as a people.

Guterres made it clear that the Hamas attacks on October 7 were horrific. But he also highlighted the massive destruction in Gaza since then. He pointed out that nearly 50,000 people have reportedly died, most of them women and children.

Many civilians have lost their homes, and schools have been shut for over a year, leaving an entire generation traumatized.

The UN chief welcomed the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which was announced in January. He thanked Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. for helping to mediate the agreement.

Guterres urged world leaders to continue working toward a full ceasefire, saying, “We cannot go back to more deaths.”