NEW YORK July 18. 2024 (Saba) -The hostilities in Gaza and Israel created appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma, leading to the exceptional invocation of Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations by the UN chief, Courtenay Rattray on Wednesday told the Security Council in briefing on the Mideast situation, including the Palestinian question, on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres.
"The humanitarian support system in Gaza is close to total collapse," Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General added, as the Zionist army persists in bombing everything in the besieged Strip.
"Nothing can justify.. the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," he stressed, with "almost half a million people facing acute food insecurity, and humanitarian convoys frequently unable to collect and distribute life-saving goods in safety as attacks against them and strikes on or near health and humanitarian facilities continue.
"It is long past time for a safe enabling environment for effective humanitarian operations in Gaza, in line with international humanitarian law," he appealed, "But, Netanyahu does not care about Palestinian civilian lives or even the hostages' lives."
Turning attention to the occupied West Bank including East Quds, he noted that between 7 October 2023 and 8 July 2024, 553 Palestinians — including 131 children — were killed.
"We must change course," he stressed, urging all settlement activities to cease immediately. Israeli settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and a key obstacle to peace.
K.N
resource : Saba
| more of (International) |