HAMILTON, Canada

The UN secretary-general on Monday called on the international community to take "urgent, concrete, irreversible steps" toward a two-state solution, warning that the situation in the Gaza Strip is driving Palestinians deeper into despair.

"Let's be clear: Statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward. And the denial of statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere," Antonio Guterres said at the opening of a high-level UN conference on peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, also warning: "Time is running out. With every passing day, trust is slipping. Institutions are weakened. And hopes are dashed."

Guterres condemned the deepening crisis in Gaza, saying the enclave "has descended into a cascade of catastrophes."

"I welcome recent steps to reduce restrictions to lifesaving humanitarian aid – but this is far from the solution to end this nightmare. We need: An immediate, permanent ceasefire. The immediate, unconditional release of all hostages. Full and unfettered humanitarian access. These are not preconditions for peace. They are the foundation of it," he said.

He also emphasized that Israel's "continued occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, is illegal," and stressed that "it must end. It is the law."

"There is no security in occupation," he added.

Pointing to the broader collapse of diplomacy in the region, Guterres said: "For decades, Middle East diplomacy has been far more process than peace. Words, speeches, declarations may not have much meaning to those on the ground. They have seen it before. They have heard it before. Meanwhile, destruction and annexation bulldoze ahead."

Warning of the danger of a one-state reality, he said: "A one-state reality where Palestinians are denied equal rights, and forced to live under perpetual occupation and inequality? A one-state reality where Palestinians are expelled from their land? That is not peace. That is not justice. That is not in accordance with international law."

Calling the two-state solution "the central question for Middle East peace," Guterres urged Israel to "recommit, clearly and unequivocally, to the two-state solution, and to cease all actions that undermine it."

"This conflict cannot be managed. It must be resolved. We cannot wait for perfect conditions. We must create them. We cannot defer peace efforts until suffering becomes unbearable. We must act before it is too late," he said.