{"id":290244,"date":"2023-10-30T17:34:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T21:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=290244"},"modified":"2023-10-30T17:34:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T21:34:28","slug":"un-security-council-meeting-again-on-gaza-crisis-news-item","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/un-security-council-meeting-again-on-gaza-crisis-news-item\/","title":{"rendered":"Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council meeting again on Gaza crisis – News Item"},"content":{"rendered":"
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30 October 2023\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Following four failed efforts to reach consensus on a Gaza resolution, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council met in emergency session again on Monday afternoon (New York time) to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment and reported ground incursions. Follow our live coverage here…<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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4:50 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

China: Inaction by Council is ‘green light’ to continued escalation<\/h3>\n

China\u2019s ambassador, ZHANG Jun, said an overwhelming majority in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly had supported a humanitarian pause last Friday during the emergency special session but Israel has \u201cturned a deaf ear to all this\u201d by beginning its ground assault on the enclave.<\/p>\n

Gaza has been under blockade for “16 long years” and the 2.3m innocent people of the enclave are now living in \u201cutter fear\u201d. If left unchecked, he said, the situation will spiral further out of control and a greater catastrophe will be inevitable.<\/p>\n

The Middle East peace process, he stressed, is now \u201con the brink of collapse.\u201d Cease all hostilities, set a humanitarian truce in place and prevent escalation, he said.<\/p>\n

He called on Israel to lift its siege, rescind the evacuation order and restore supply of basic necessities.<\/p>\n

The ambassador called for intensified diplomatic efforts to secure hostage releases and return to the track of a political settlement.<\/p>\n

He called on both sides to \u201cabandon your blind faith in force\u201d and commit to an end to the cycle of violence.<\/p>\n

He warned the violence could not be contained, saying there could be a military catastrophe which would engulf the whole region.<\/p>\n

Addressing fellow Council members he said Gazans did not need more parroting of promises, rather \u201cconcrete actions\u201d which could bring peace, reestablish the rule of law and save civilian lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cInaction\u201d, he said, is tantamount to a green light for the violence to continue, warning that history will record the Council\u2019s choice.<\/p>\n

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\"Air<\/div>\n
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\u00a9 WHO<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Air strikes continue in Gaza.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

4:40 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

United Arab Emirates: ‘Unambiguous call’<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, recalled the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on Friday, supported by 121 countries \u2013 an overwhelming majority of the world – issuing an \u201cunambiguous call\u201d for an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey stood for up for the humanitarian imperative, for human rights, for international law, and, most importantly, for the self-evident truth that Palestinian life is precious, equal and deserving of the full protection of the law,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms. Nusseibeh said\u00a0Security Council<\/a>\u00a0members repeatedly expressed their concern about the fraying of the international order.<\/p>\n

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\"Ambassador<\/div>\n
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United Nations<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates addresses the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIf we lean on the General Assembly\u2019s moral responsibility in other settings, we must also respect it in this one,\u201d she said, noting that \u201cthis Council, ignoring the expressed will of the majority of the world, [is] maybe what breaks it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She reiterated that a ceasefire is needed now, as is ensuring safe, sustained and at-scale humanitarian aid reaches Gaza, and that access to electricity, clean water and fuel is restored.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Nusseibeh went on to note that while our eyes have been trained on Gaza, the occupied West Bank has not been spared from violence either.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsraeli settlers are escalating their attacks against Palestinian civilians and forcing their displacement. These attacks must be prevented by the State of Israel,\u201d she said, adding that across the region, there have been several credible warnings of a wider escalation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drums of war are beating,\u201d she said, urging Security Council members to take the warnings seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not serve Israel\u2019s security by enabling it [the war] to go on. We cannot reverse the heinous 7 October attacks by condoning this war in which civilians are playing the price,\u201d she noted, adding \u201cignoring what could happen day after day will have devastating consequences \u2013 not only for Israelis and Palestinians but for the prospects peace and stability in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n

4:10 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Devastating and heartbreaking: Senior OCHA official<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lisa Doughten<\/a>, Director of Resource Mobilization at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA<\/a>), said the events that have unfolded since 7 October have been \u201cnothing short of devastating and heartbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not forget the 1,400 people killed and thousands more injured and taken in the brutal Hamas attack. Indiscriminate rocket-fire continues from Gaza into populated areas of Israel, causing more civilian casualties, displacement and trauma,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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\"Lisa<\/div>\n
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United Nations<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Lisa Doughten, Resource Mobilization Director for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, addresses the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAll hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally<\/strong>,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms. Doughten added that the situation for the more than two million people trapped in the Gaza Strip is simply \u201ccatastrophic.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey have now endured a\u00a0siege and continuous bombardment for 23 days<\/strong>. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 8,000 people have been killed [\u2026] tens of thousands more have been injured,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Nowhere safe for patients<\/strong><\/h3>\n

She said she was deeply concerned by allegations that Hamas had placed military installations in the close vicinity of hospitals and the call by Israeli authorities for hospitals to be evacuated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nowhere safe for patients to go, and for those on life support and babies in incubators, moving would almost certainly be a death sentence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms. Doughten reiterated the need for a pause in the fighting on humanitarian grounds.<\/p>\n

Doing so will provide a pause for humanitarians and those in need, as well as safe passage for hostages to be released. It will allow Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ staff to replenish supplies, relieve exhausted personnel, and continue assistance throughout Gaza wherever civilians are in need.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would also provide\u00a0much-needed respite to civilians<\/strong>\u00a0who are living under unimaginably traumatic conditions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

4:01 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trauma for a lifetime: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF chief<\/h3>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF<\/a>: Also briefing the Council,\u00a0Catherine Russell<\/a>, Executive Director of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Children\u2019s Fund (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF), said the \u201ctrue cost\u201d of the latest escalation will be measured in children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 420 children are being killed or injured in Gaza each day<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 a number which should shake each of us to our core,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

WHO<\/a>\u00a0in Gaza reported 34 attacks against health care facilities, including 21 hospitals and 12 of Gaza\u2019s 35 hospitals can no longer function, she said.<\/p>\n

At least 221 schools and more than 177,000 housing units have been damaged or destroyed and clean water is quickly running out, with 55 per cent of related infrastructure requiring repairs or rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

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\"Catherine<\/div>\n
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Catherine M. Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for Children (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF), addresses the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAs if this wasn\u2019t enough, children in both Israel and the State of Palestine are experiencing terrible trauma, the consequences of which could last a lifetime,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are doing our best to reach all children in need, but the delivery of humanitarian aid, especially Gaza, is now extremely challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most concerning is the current siege conditions and the “highly dangerous circumstances” under which staff are operating, she said.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake, the situation grows worse by the hour and without an urgent end to the hostilities, I am deeply afraid for the fate of the region\u2019s children<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMake no mistake, the situation grows worse by the hour and without an urgent end to the hostilities, I am deeply afraid for the fate of the region\u2019s children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Council resolution essential<\/h3>\n

\u201cBut we and you have the power to help lift children out of this spiral of violence,\u201d she said. \u201cI implore the Security Council to immediately adopt a resolution that reminds parties of their obligations under international law, calls for a ceasefire, demands that parties allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, demands the immediate and safe release of all abducted and detained children and urges parties to afford children the special protection to which they are entitled.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Security Council should also prioritize what is now a worsening displacement crisis, with more than 1.4 million people in Gaza, the majority of whom are children, now displaced.<\/p>\n

We must have humanitarian access through all crossing points into the Gaza Strip<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe must have humanitarian access through all crossing points into the Gaza Strip, through safe and efficient supply routes,\u201d she said, also calling for a reversal of measures taken by Israel to cut electricity, food, water and fuel from entering the enclave from Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of all the children caught in this nightmare, we call on the world to do better,\u201d she said. \u201cChildren do not start conflicts, and they are powerless to stop them<\/strong>. They need all of us to put their safety and security at the forefront of our efforts, and to imagine a future where all children are healthy, safe, and educated. No child deserves any less.\u201d<\/p>\n

3:55 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA staff \u2018only glimmer of hope\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mr. Lazzarini highlighted the deep impact of the crisis on the staff of his agency \u2013 64 of whom have been killed since 7 October \u2013 but continue to valiantly discharge their humanitarian duties faced with overwhelming challenges and having lost relatives and friends<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA colleagues are the only glimmer of hope for the entire Gaza Strip, a ray of light as humanity sinks into its darkest hour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini (on screen), addresses the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The head of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA also emphasized that the \u201chandful of convoys\u201d being allowed through the Rafah crossing is\u00a0\u201cnothing compared to the needs\u201d of over two million people trapped in the enclave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe system in place to allow aid into Gaza is geared to fail unless there is political will to make the flow of supplies meaningful, matching the unprecedented humanitarian needs,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n

Another crisis is unfolding in the West Bank including East Jerusalem<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also in his briefing, he reiterated that while the focus is on Gaza, \u201canother crisis is unfolding in the West Bank including East Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Palestinian fatalities this year are the highest since the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ started to keep records in 2005, he said, noting at least 115 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, including 33 children.<\/p>\n

The movement restrictions imposed across the West Bank are impacting our services, including schools and health centres, he said, noting also that the situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border is getting worse, with regular exchanges of fire and civilian casualties reported.<\/p>\n

3:50 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Lazzarini went on to note that nearly 70 per cent of those reported killed are children and women: nearly 3,200 children have been killed in Gaza in three weeks, surpassing the number of children killed annually across the world\u2019s conflict zones since 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis cannot be \u2018collateral damage\u2019,\u201d he stressed, adding that Israel is carrying out “collective punishment”.<\/p>\n

He outlined a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza Strip, with medicines, food, water and fuel running out, adding that panic pushed thousands of desperate people to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA aid warehouse and distribution centres.<\/p>\n

\u201cA further breakdown in civil order will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the largest Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agency in Gaza to continue operating. It will also make it impossible to bring in convoys,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n

3:45 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018No place is safe\u2019: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA chief<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ relief agency for Palestine Refugees (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA<\/a>), spoke first.<\/p>\n

He said almost everybody in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory – and in the broader region – is in mourning.<\/p>\n

He said the level of destruction across Gaza \u201cis unprecedented, the human tragedy unfolding under our watch is unbearable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite half the population of Gaza being told to evacuate south by Israeli authorities significant numbers of Gazans have been killed as they sought sanctuary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have said many times and I will say it again: no place is safe in Gaza\u201d, said the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA chief.<\/p>\n

This \u201cforced displacement\u201d has left more than 670,000 in overcrowed Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA schools and basements.<\/p>\n

3:43 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Israel, Palestine and Jordan are being invited to take part.<\/p>\n

3:41 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

The emergency meeting of the Security Council on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza called by the United Arab Emirates and China, has just begun.<\/p>\n

3:00 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Security Council session for the afternoon has begun, but it’s meeting first over the situation in Western Sahara, and then will meet to consider the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Verification Mission in Colombia.<\/p>\n

The emergency meeting was reportedly called for by the United Arab Emirates, the sole Arab nation on the 15-member Council, after Israel expanded its operations into Gaza over the weekend.<\/p>\n

The head of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agency supporting Palestine refugees (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA),\u00a0Philippe Lazzarini<\/strong>, and a senior director from the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),\u00a0Lisa Doughten (on behalf of relief chief Martin Griffiths)<\/strong>, are expected to brief ambassadors, along with the head of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Children’s Fund,\u00a0Catherine Russell<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Extensive destruction has been caused by Israeli airstrikes in the north of Gaza.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In a sign of civil order starting to break down in the ravaged enclave, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-operated\u00a0aid warehouses were raided<\/a>\u00a0this weekend by thousands of desperate people who took wheat flour, hygiene supplies and other basic survival goods.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, hospitals in northern Gaza are\u00a0hanging on by a thread<\/a>, according to humanitarians, amid \u201crepeated evacuation orders\u201d by Israeli forces. Medical staff working there and civilians seeking shelter have reportedly refused to leave, saying evacuation would mean death for patients on ventilators and in intensive care units.<\/p>\n

On Friday, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour to\u00a0adopt a resolution on the crisis<\/a>, calling for an \u201cimmediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far since the crisis erupted with the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October and retaliatory bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces, two Russian resolutions have been struck down either through the veto or failure to gain enough support.<\/p>\n

A Brazilian resolution was also vetoed by the United States.<\/p>\n

The Security Council in a crisis: Explained<\/h3>\n

For a reminder of how the Security Council works during a crisis and negotiates resolutions or ends up in deadlock,\u00a0visit our explainer here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

30 October 2023\u00a0 Following four failed efforts to reach consensus on a Gaza resolution, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council met in emergency session again on Monday afternoon (New York time) to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment and reported ground incursions. Follow our live coverage here… 4:50 PM China: Inaction by Council is ‘green […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2477],"document-source":[2169,1362,2105,6169,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,5449,1829,2265,2033,2057,2005,2533,1741,5200,2613,2385,6251],"entity":[],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-290244","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-news-item","document-source-office-for-the-coordination-of-humanitarian-affairs-ocha","document-source-security-council","document-source-united-nations-childrens-fund-unicef","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-assistance-to-the-palestinian-people","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-children","document-subject-food","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","document-subject-internally-displaced-persons","document-subject-security-issues","document-subject-west-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290249,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290244\/revisions\/290249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=290244"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=290244"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=290244"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=290244"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=290244"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=290244"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=290244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}