{"id":57427,"date":"2025-05-28T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/gaza-top-un-envoy-calls-on-israel-to-end-devastating-strikes-starvation-of-civilians\/"},"modified":"2025-05-28T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T12:00:00","slug":"gaza-top-un-envoy-calls-on-israel-to-end-devastating-strikes-starvation-of-civilians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=57427","title":{"rendered":"Gaza: Top UN envoy calls on Israel to end devastating strikes, starvation of civilians"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sigrid Kaag, interim UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that the man-made crisis unfolding in Gaza has plunged civilians into \u201can abyss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the collapse of the ceasefire in March, civilians have constantly come under fire, confined to ever-shrinking spaces, and deprived of lifesaving relief<\/strong>,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael must halt its devastating strikes on civilian life and infrastructure.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n
Risk of famine<\/h2>\n
With families cut off from aid for weeks on end, and only a fraction of the needed relief now entering the enclave, starvation looms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine<\/strong>,\u201d Ms. Kaag warned, adding that the limited aid permitted into the enclave is \u201ccomparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Ms. Kaag emphasized that humanitarian aid must not depend on political negotiations, noting that the UN aid operation is prepared to deliver assistance immediately, in accordance with international law.<\/p>\n
\u201cAid cannot be negotiable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Full aid access imperative<\/h2>\n
Ms. Kaag called on Israel to halt its devastating strikes and allow full access for humanitarian aid and commercial goods.<\/p>\n
At the same time, she stressed that Israel has the right to live in peace and security<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was undeniably shaken by the horrific terror attacks and taking of hostages on 7 October by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups,\u201d she said, reiterating the call on Hamas and other armed groups to stop rocket attacks against Israel and release all hostages unconditionally<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
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Sigrid Kaag, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ad Interim, briefs the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Two-State solution<\/h2>\n
Ms. Kaag emphasised that durable security \u201ccannot be achieved solely through force\u201d, it must be built on mutual recognition, justice, and rights for all.<\/p>\n
\u201cA better path exists that resolves this conflict, de-escalates regional tensions and achieves a shared vision for peace,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The upcoming high-level international conference in June, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, presents a critical opportunity to relaunch a path toward ending the occupation and realising the two-State solution based on international law, UN resolutions and previous agreements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt must not be another rhetorical exercise<\/strong>,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to pivot ourselves from declarations to decisions. We need to implement rather than adopt new texts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018See you in heaven\u2019<\/h2>\n
In her briefing, Ms. Kaag described the deep despair of civilians in Gaza, where families now bid farewell not with a \u201cgoodbye, see you tomorrow\u201d, but with the words \u201csee you in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDeath is their companion. It\u2019s not life, it\u2019s not hope,\u201d she continued, stressing that Gazans deserve more than survival \u2013 they deserve a future.<\/p>\n
Urging bold political action, she called for adherence to international law, and support for a reformed Palestinian Government that can govern both Gaza and the West Bank.<\/p>\n
\u201cStatehood is a right, not a reward<\/strong>,\u201d Ms. Kaag said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us not be remembered as the generation that let the two-State solution disappear. Let us be the generation that chose courage over caution, justice over inertia and peace over politics. Let us be part of a generation that can make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\nSpecial Coordinator a.i. Kaag’s briefing to the Security Council.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
US \u2018fully stands\u2019 with Israel<\/h2>\n
Speaking for the United States, John Kelley, Political Coordinator at the US Mission to the UN, said that his country has been working tirelessly to free the hostages and bring the war to an end \u2013 \u201cone that Hamas brutally started\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHamas continues to reject proposals from the US, Qatar and Egypt that would release the 58 remaining hostages, who have now been cruelly held for 600 days, and bring calm to Gaza,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day Hamas demonstrates its lack of regard for the Palestinians it claims to represent, all while it violently suppresses protests against its barbaric rule and diverts aid meant for civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n
He underscored that the US \u201cfully stands\u201d behind Israel and its right to defend itself, stating that to move forward, \u201cHamas must be defeated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Secretary [Marco] Rubio has said \u2013 if an ember survives, it will spark again into a fire. There can no peaceful and prosperous Gaza as long as Hamas governs it by force,\u201d Mr. Kelley said.<\/p>\n
The horrors must end: Algeria<\/h2>\n
Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama described the deadly impact of the ongoing war in Gaza on children, citing the specific case of the nine children of a Gazan doctor, all killed in an airstrike, while her sole remaining child and husband remain in a critical condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were not members of a centre for command and control of Hamas,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cthe Israeli army killed them, they killed them deliberately.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that today, no one in Gaza is spared \u2013 and three decades after the optimism surrounding the Oslo peace accords between Israel and Palestinian leadership, \u201cthe dream of a Palestinian state is vanishing under the boots of the Israeli occupation and the silence of the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stating that the \u201ctime for indecision\u201d was over, he called for action \u2013 \u201cnot words of condemnation\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese horrors must end,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gaza needs a ceasefire, not more bloodshed: United Kingdom<\/h2>\n
James Kariuki, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UK, said his country has \u201calways supported\u201d Israel\u2019s right to defend itself but cautioned that it \u201cstrongly opposes\u201d Israel\u2019s escalating military action in Gaza, \u201cwhich is wholly disproportionate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn immediate ceasefire, not more bloodshed is the way to secure the release of the hostages and stop the end cycle of violence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable, he continued, stating that the United Nations had warned of the risks of the Israeli Government\u2019s aid delivery plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Rafah yesterday, we saw this warning become a reality. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation lost control of its distribution centre, with multiple casualties reported and great distress for those desperately seeking aid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn contrast, the UN has a clear plan to deliver lifesaving aid at scale. It contains robust mitigations against aid diversion. Brave humanitarians stand ready to do their jobs,\u201d he added. \u201cLet aid in and enable the UN to operate now.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A wide view of the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Images of hungry, desperate people \u2018gut-wrenching\u2019: Palestine<\/h2>\n
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said the images of hungry and desperate people trying to get aid supplies in are \u201cgut-wrenching\u201d and \u201cheart breaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are people, human beings, deprived of water, food, medicine for so long and hanging to life by a thread,\u201d he said, adding that this is \u201coutraging the Palestinian people \u2013 all of them, including me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is outrageous to see this situation, and still you are not acting,\u201d he said, pointing to Security Council members: \u201chow much more do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the UN plan for aid, with its proven capacity on the ground remains the only viable plan to deliver relief supplies and it has all necessary safeguards \u2013 \u201cif that is the true concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the true concern is how to get rid of the Palestinians by killing them, starving them, and destroying Gaza so they have no choice but to leave if they want to live,\u201d Mr. Mansour said.<\/p>\n
Israel is facilitating aid into Gaza: Ambassador<\/h2>\n
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said that while the UN \u201cspreads panic and makes declarations detached from reality, the State of Israel is steadily facilitating the entry of aid into Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
This, he said, is being done via two methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, under the old framework, via trucks and, second, under the new distribution mechanism developed in coordination with the US and key international partners,\u201d he continued, noting that both mechanisms are \u201cworking simultaneously\u201d and will continue to do so for the immediate future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not only allowing aid in, but we are ensuring that it reaches the people who need it most,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Aid is already being distributed in Gaza, Ambassador Danon said, despite efforts by Hamas to obstruct people from reaching it by setting up checkpoints and roadblocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Hamas knows if it loses control over the aid, it loses control over the people of Gaza,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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