UN chief: There is growing consensus to tell Israel ceasefire is needed

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during a visit to Jordan on Monday that there is growing international consensus to tell Israel that a ceasefire is needed and that an assault on Rafah would cause a humanitarian disaster.

At a press briefing in the capital Amman, Guterres said the UN was "was relatively alone" in its call for a ceasefire at the start of the war, but now "more and more of the international community recognising the same".

He also added that a UN Security Council resolution expected later today calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli captives, but does not link the two issues together.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres looks on during a press conference inside an Unrwa school in Amman, Jordan 25 March 2024 (Reuters/Antonio Guterres)

Reporting by MEE and agencies