U.N. chief presses for ceasefire agreement in Gaza, warns Israel against military escalation in Rafah

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Secretary-General António Guterres urged Israel and Hamas to "show the political courage and spare no effort" to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages that were taken on Oct. 7. Guterres also said a large-scale military operation by Israel in Rafah would be a "human catastrophe" and asked those "with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to help avert even more tragedy."