TEHRAN- The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has been criticized by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “catastrophic,” highlighting the urgent need for a ceasefire and a de-escalation of hostilities in the beleaguered region.

Guterres made the remarks during a phone call on late Friday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in which the two addressed the current developments in Gaza and the U.S. rejection of a UN resolution.

Nearly every other member of the Security Council as well as several more countries calling for an urgent humanitarian truce in Gaza supported the resolution.

The delicate situation in Gaza and across Palestine, according to Guterres, led to the adoption of Article 99 of the UN Charter, which has not been activated since 1989.

“The aforementioned process has been activated as the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is felt more than in the past,” he added.

He added, “A humanitarian pause should be made and the spread of tensions in the region should be prevented.”

Guterres also emphasized the need of continuing work until Palestinian rights are realized and a Palestinian state is established in accordance with prior United Nations resolutions.

Article 99 of the UN Charter stipulates that the Secretary-General “may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

In an unprecedented step in decades, Guterres invoked the article on Wednesday to alert the UN Security Council of the Israeli war’s threat to world peace and security.

“The use of Article 99 of the United Nations Charter is a brave action on your part to maintain international peace and security, and is supported by the world’s public opinion,” Amir Abdollahian said in response to Guterres’ application of the clause after the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.

The Iranian foreign minister mentioned the dire and terrible situation in the beleaguered Gaza Strip, as well as the displacement of women and children in the deserts of southern Gaza during the Israeli onslaught.

Amir Abdollahian advocated for accelerating measures to build deterrence against the Israeli regime’s crimes in Gaza and increasing assistance for Palestinians through the rapid opening of the Rafah border for humanitarian supplies and the cessation of forced migration of Gazans.

On October 7, Israel launched its war machine in response to the Hamas surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the colonial entity’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against the Palestinians.

Since then, Israel has killed over 17,400 Palestinians, the most of whom are women and children, and injured over 46,480 more in its continuous air and ground strikes on Gaza.

According to the UN, almost 80% of Gaza’s population is displaced, with over 1.1 million seeking refuge in UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) shelters.

Iran emphasizes Gaza War must end immediately

Amir Abdollahian spoke with Ziad al-Nakhalah, the secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Resistance Movement, over the phone on Friday.

They talked about the most recent actions taken by the Islamic Republic and the Arab and Muslim world to help the Palestinian people.

In order to put an end to the Israeli regime’s war crimes in Gaza, the senior Iranian diplomat emphasized the necessity for “immediate and effective” action by the world community and relevant international organizations.

For his part, Nakhalah conveyed appreciation for Iran’s and the Muslim-Arab collaboration.

He also gave a report on the most recent developments in the Israeli war on Gaza, reiterating the Palestinian resistance groups’ unwavering commitment to repel the savage attacks of the occupying regime and to protect the beleaguered strip.

Iran applauds UN chief decision to apply Article 99 to Gaza

In another telephone conversation with Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh on Friday, Amir Abdollahian applauded the UN chief for using Article 99, calling it a unique and significant step toward establishing global peace and security.

Amir Abdollahian elaborated on the latest diplomatic moves and measures by Islamic and Arab states, as well as Iran, in international arenas aimed at supporting the Palestinian people, denouncing the Zionist regime’s war crimes, and putting an end to the merciless slaughter of people in Gaza and the West Bank.

He added that the Gaza situation was one of the major topics discussed during Thursday’s discussions between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Haniyeh, for his part, commended Iran for its positions in favor of the Palestinian people as well as Iran’s massive diplomatic efforts both inside and outside of the region to put an end to the crimes committed by the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people.

He went on to discuss the current state of affairs in Gaza in light of the continued atrocities and killings of people by the Zionist regime.

The Palestinian leader also declared, “With God’s help, the resistance will continue until the crimes of the Zionists stop and the occupation of Palestine is completely over.”

Iran, German FMs discuss Gaza, bilateral ties

Amir Abdollahian and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke over the phone on Friday on Tehran-Berlin ties as well as the most recent events in the Gaza Strip.

The senior Iranian diplomat emphasized the continued Israeli slaughter of Palestinian people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, urging the international community to pay special attention to the human rights crisis.

Amir Abdollahian denounced the Israeli genocide in Gaza and proposed a UN vote among Palestine’s original inhabitants, which would include Jews, Muslims, and Christians, as a diplomatic means of resolving the long-running conflict.

“Mutual respect and focus on shared interests are necessary to maintain and strengthen relations in various fields, and within this framework, the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the expansion of relations between Tehran and Berlin,” Amir Abdollahian said, highlighting the historical and cultural ties between Iran and Germany.

For her part, Baerbock emphasized the need to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza from getting exacerbated.

The German foreign minister underscored the need of keeping the lines of communication open in order to foster bilateral cooperation while pleading on Iran to help ease regional tensions.