Most UN Security Council members unite against Israel's Gaza assaults, demand ceasefire

HAMILTON, Canada

Most UN Security Council members on Tuesday denounced Israel's continued military escalation in the Gaza Strip and urged an immediate ceasefire, while the US once again voiced solidarity with Israel.

Calling the situation in Gaza "one of the greatest challenges to international peace and security," South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, as term president of the Security Council, said: "The immense scale of human suffering and the implications for regional stability demand our urgent and united attention."

His remarks were made during a session on the Palestinian question, convened at the request of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members of the council: Algeria, Guyana, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, and Somalia.

Saying that Seoul was "deeply alarmed by Israel's ground operation to seize control of Gaza City," he said it risks "further exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis."

He reiterated that a “two-state solution is the only viable pathway" to peace.

Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said Gaza had become "a textbook example of failure of the international community," stressing that it is "the deadliest place for children, the deadliest place for humanitarian and medical workers, and the deadliest place for journalists."

She urged the council to "not let our collective future be defined by the stain of the Gaza genocide. Act now."

'Incomprehensible, inhumane, and utterly unjustifiable'

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf described the situation as a "full-fledged genocidal campaign," and said Israel is seeking to "undermine any prospect for the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state" while pursuing "the myth of Greater Israel."

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper denounced Israel's operations in Gaza City as "incomprehensible, inhumane, and utterly unjustifiable."

"We need a ceasefire now. We need the release of all the hostages. We need the immediate restoration of aid and support for medical care," she urged.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, said Israel's assaults had created "a humanitarian catastrophe of unbearable scale," adding that "the keys to recognition of the Palestinian state should no longer lie in the hands of the Israeli government."

"The time for the end of this decades-long struggle is now," he added.

Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis said "words fail to describe the humanitarian catastrophe," condemning settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank as a further blow to peace.

Jay Dharmadhikari, France's deputy UN envoy, said Paris stands ready to contribute to a stabilization mission "to be decided by this council at the appropriate time."

Russia's UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia welcomed recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood and accused Israel of seeking "to take full control of all Palestinian territory," warning that Gaza is being "systematically cleared."

Pointing to Washington's role, he called on the US to "stop viewing multilateral diplomacy as an enemy."

"Unfortunately, what we currently see is the exact opposite. Both Israel and the US continue to justify strikes on hospitals and schools, attacks on humanitarian convoys and the deaths of women, children, and aid workers," he said.

Nebenzia also stressed that recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by several countries sent "an extremely important signal" that justice for Palestinians must be ensured.

'Performance over serious efforts'

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, began his remarks by criticizing the council and accusing member states of prioritizing "performance over serious efforts to actually advance peace."

He insisted the conflict could end "if Hamas accepted the negotiator's proposals," while reiterating Washington's "unwavering support” for Israel.

According to Hamas, it has repeatedly agreed to peace deals, only to have them rejected by Israel.

Tel Aviv has been accused of stringing along negotiators, feigning interest in a peace deal while extending the destructive war for its own ends, including the prime minister’s desire for political survival.