The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has invoked article 99 of the UN charter, which allows the UN chief to bring the attention of the United Nations Security Council to any matter that threatens the maintenance of international peace and security.

Guterres urged Wednesday the UN Security Council to act regarding the situation as it could jeopardize international peace and security, emphasizing the international community's responsibility to use its influence to end the crisis.

He called on the Security Council members to exert pressure to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and called for a declaration of a humanitarian ceasefire.

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that a mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries would be "catastrophic," stressing the need for a ceasefire.

Grandi added that it is crucial to address the humanitarian crisis and the issue of insufficient aid entering Gaza to prevent a potentially disastrous mass displacement.

"We must not forget that two-thirds of Gaza's population are originally refugees since the 1948-1949 Arab-Israeli War, referring to the Nakba, during which around 760,000 Palestinians were displaced."