Addressing ambassadors on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Chef-de-Cabinet Courtenay Rattray warned that on top of the dire situation in the war-ravaged enclave, the spectre of further regional spillover is increasing by the day.

End collective punishment

Reiterating his strong condemnation of the brutal attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October last year, Mr. Rattray stressed that nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

He noted that in recent weeks, Israeli military operations and fighting has intensified across Gaza, while rockets continue to be launched by Palestinian armed groups from the enclave towards Israeli towns and cities.

“Rafah is in ruins – and the Rafah crossing remains closed, further hampering humanitarian operations. Almost two million people have been displaced – nearly the entire population of Gaza – and many of them multiple times,” he said.

“Nowhere in Gaza is safe,” he stressed.

Palestine: End the Israeli occupation now

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the observer State of Palestine, said Israel has, for months, manufactured a humanitarian catastrophe, with famine at its core as it wields starvation, dehydration and the spread of diseases as “the ultimate weapons”.

“Two million people who were subjected to a 17-year-old blockade are now confronted with a hermetic siege, dying of hunger and disease while food and medicine are available only meters away,” he said, adding that until now, Israel “pretended” the blockade, its walls and military rule were about security.

Underscoring that there is a reason Israel behaves this way, he said “everything in its history tells it it will get away with it. It is betting this time will be no exception. But, this time must be the exception, and change must start right now.”

Global consensus has emerged

While the Security Council adopted resolution 2735 in June to achieve an immediate ceasefire leading to a permanent cessation of hostilities, he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “does not care about Palestinian civilian lives or even the hostages’ life” nor about international law or human decency, and only cares about his own political survival.

However, in recent weeks, there is a global consensus in support of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the two-State solution – in line with UN resolutions and international law, he said, citing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) cases against Israel.

“There is more convergence on the Palestine question than on any other matter on the international agenda,” he added.

More to come…