KAMPALA: The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state "must be recognised by all", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda on Saturday.
"The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable," the UN leader insisted in the Ugandan capital Kampala.
Such a stance "would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security; exacerbate polarisation; and embolden extremists everywhere," Guterres warned.
"The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognised by all."
The ongoing bloodshed in the Palestinian Gaza territory was prompted by the October 7 attack on Israel.
Israel's relentless bombardment and ground offensive since then have killed at least 24,927 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the government's health ministry.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has deplored the "inhuman living conditions" in the small coastal territory, of 2.4 million inhabitants, many of whom have been displaced by the Israeli action.
On Monday, Guterres appealed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States has also recently reiterated its support for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, fighting raged on Saturday across the Gaza Strip, whose health ministry reported a surging death toll.
Gaza's health ministry reported at least 165 people killed over the previous 24 hours -- by far the largest such toll it has issued in days, and more than double the previous day's figure.
An AFP correspondent reported gunfire, air strikes and tank shelling into the morning, particularly in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis city.
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