“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, unconscionable, shameful,” he said. “I am shocked and horrified at the reported killing and injury of hundreds of people during disbursement of aid supplies, west of Gaza City last week.”
US: Working on new draft resolution
Later in the day, the General Assembly will hear a briefing by Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, who is expected to brief following his letter to Assembly President Dennis Francis last week.10:15 AMExtremely concerned about pending Israeli ground operations in Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million people now reside, he urgently call for maximum restraint to prevail in order to save innocent civilian lives.In the letter, the UNRWA chief said the agency would soon be unable to fulfil its mandate because of funding cuts stemming from Israel’s allegations that agency workers were complicit in Hamas’s October attacks.Over the weekend, the Security Council issued a statement calling for immediate action to swiftly ramp up aid delivery to the enclave, especially to the devastated northern region.This comes with a rising death toll, babies dying of starvation, and 85 percent of Gaza’s population – or 1.9 million people – are internally displaced.
General Assembly President calls for ceasefire
General Assembly President Francis said that from the UN’s inception in 1945, the world body and the Security Council have an overarching duty to save generations from the scourge of war, and called for the international community to act now to end Gaza crisis.
10:30 AM
First and foremost, an immediate humanitarian ceasefire must be implemented and all parties must comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, especially as it relates to the protection of civilians and civilian facilities.For weeks, the Security Council has been deadlocked over adopting a resolution to end the war, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians. The US has vetoed several drafts since the start of the war. The Council’s five permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) have the power to cast a veto.General Assembly President Dennis Francis addresses the resumed 10th Emergency Special Session meeting on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.In the 15-member organ’s statement, the Council expressed deep concern over reports that “more than 100 individuals lost their lives, with several hundred others sustaining injuries, including gunshot wounds…in an incident involving Israeli forces at a large gathering surrounding a humanitarian assistance convoy southwest of Gaza City.”[embedded content]
In addition, all hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released, and full and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance by those in need must be ensured.Israeli restrictions on humanitarian access have drastically reduced the flow of lifesaving aid to a mere trickle, with UNRWA reports a significant 50 per cent reduction in the number of trucks entering Gaza daily from January to February, he said.Washington will continue working to get more aid in as well as engaging tirelessly in direct diplomacy and negotiations on the ground, he said.
Security Council deadlock
That came after last Thursday’s deadly attack on hungry Palestinians waiting for aid deliveries organized by Israel.According to media reports, on a Saturday, a similar Israeli attack on Gazans waiting for aid left many dead and many more injured.Indeed, his delegation had cautioned the Security Council that doing so could disrupt the intensive efforts underway to release the hostages and achieve a temporary ceasefire. Instead, the US has circulated a draft that would achieve a temporary ceasefire which would allow hostages to go home to their families and would help get aid into the hands of Palestinian civilians, who so desperately need it.The Assembly will debate the matter under a mechanism that examines the use of veto in the Security Council, which can trigger an emergency special session on the matter. Read our explainer what happens when the Security Council fails to reach agreement here and on emergency special sessions here.“It is therefore essential that we rapidly and substantially increase the scale of humanitarian operations and ensure unrestricted access to all civilians in need,” he said.
UNRWA to brief General Assembly
The draft resolution at hand would not have achieved the goal of sustainable peace nor resulted in a ceasefire, said Robert A. Wood, United States Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN.“We remain committed to engage constructively on our resolution in the days to come,” he said.
