UN Chief Demands Immediate Israeli-Palestinian Cease-fire

UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that there must be an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, as deaths and destruction mount.   

“But above all, what we must - and I am repeating my appeal - what we must achieve is an immediate cease-fire,” Guterres told a special session of the General Assembly requested by Arab and Muslim nations.  He said it is urgent that the hostilities are de-escalated, to prevent what he said would become an “uncontainable cross-border security and humanitarian crisis.”   “Even wars have rules,” he said. “First and foremost, civilians must be protected."