(United Nations) The UN Secretary General denounced on Tuesday the “clear violations” of humanitarian law in Gaza and called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, before a Security Council still divided on 18e day of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Antonio Guterres’ comments angered Israel, half-heartedly accusing it of understanding the bloody Hamas attack of October 7, while the Palestinian representative denounced the “inexcusable” inaction of the Security Council, which in recent weeks has exposed its long-standing divisions on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are seeing in Gaza. Let us be clear: no party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN
“To ease this immense suffering, facilitate the distribution of aid in a more secure manner, and facilitate the release of hostages, I repeat my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Antonio Guterres told ministers and diplomats dozens of countries gathered in a Council room rarely so crowded.
International aid began to arrive in dribs and drabs since Saturday via Egypt, but in very insufficient quantity, according to the UN, in this small, poor territory bombed by Israel following the bloody Hamas attack on the 7th. october.
“This is a drop of aid in an ocean of needs,” warned Antonio Guterres.
“Even in this moment of grave and immediate danger, we must not lose sight of the only realistic basis for lasting peace and stability: a two-state solution,” he insisted.
“Mr. Secretary General, in what world do you live? “, replied Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
“Without a doubt, it’s not ours,” he added, describing the “brutal massacre” of October 7. “How can you enter into a ceasefire agreement with someone who has sworn to kill and destroy your own existence,” he asked.
“Failure” of the Security Council
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan went further, calling on Antonio Guterres to “resign immediately”.
More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since the October 7 attack, mainly civilians massacred by Hamas that day, and some 220 Israeli, foreign or binational hostages have been identified by local authorities.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, announced on Tuesday a new overall death toll of more than 5,791 deaths, including 2,360 children, since the start of the war.
As a prelude to a possible land incursion by the Israeli army, strikes have intensified in recent days on the 362 square kilometer territory where 2.4 million Palestinians are crowded.
“The scale of the destruction raises questions about the possibility of people ever returning home,” commented Lynn Hastings, representative of the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riyad Al-Maliki, denounced the inaction of the UN Security Council in the face of “massacres […] perpetrated by Israel.
“The Security Council has the duty to stop them”: “the failure of the Security Council is inexcusable,” he said.
Last week, the UN Security Council initially rejected a Russian proposed resolution calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire”. Only five of the 15 member states of the Council supported this text which condemned “all violence against civilians and all terrorist acts”, but did not name Hamas, which was unacceptable to the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
A second draft resolution drawn up by Brazil, which holds the presidency of the Council in October, was blocked by an American veto. Washington lambasted this text which did not mention Israel’s “right to defend itself”, while 12 countries voted for it.
The United States circulated another draft resolution. “We all recognize the right and imperative of states to defend themselves against terrorism,” insisted Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The latest draft American text seen by AFP, after modifications, affirms “the right of all states to self-defense”, not just Israel.
A new document that “we cannot support”, declared Russian Ambassador Vassili Nebenzia, denouncing the absence of a call for a “ceasefire” and indicating that he was working on another alternative text.