NEW YORK: Following four failed efforts to reach a consensus on a Gaza resolution, the UN Security Council met in an emergency session again on Monday to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and reported ground incursions.
UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, addressed the UN Security Council emergency session, stating that nearly 70 per cent of those reported killed in Gaza as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression 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’s conflict zones since 2019, Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported him said.
Lazzarini, addressed the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, and highlighted the deep impact of the crisis on the staff of his agency – 64 of whom have been killed since Oct 7, who continue to valiantly discharge their humanitarian duties while faced with overwhelming challenges and having lost relatives and friends.
“My UNRWA colleagues are the only glimmer of hope for the entire Gaza Strip, a ray of light as humanity sinks into its darkest hour,” he said.
According to WAFA, the head of UNRWA also emphasised that the “handful of convoys” being allowed through the Rafah crossing is “nothing compared to the needs” of over two million people trapped in the enclave.
“The 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,” he stressed.
Also in his briefing, he reiterated that while the focus is on Gaza, “another crisis is unfolding in the West Bank including East Jerusalem.”
Palestinian fatalities this year are the highest since the UN started to keep records in 2005, he said.
Lazzarini outlined a dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with medicines, food, water, and fuel running out, adding that panic pushed thousands of desperate people to UNRWA aid warehouses and distribution centres.
“A further breakdown in civil order will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the largest UN agency in Gaza to continue operating. It will also make it impossible to bring in convoys,” he stressed.
He said the level of destruction across Gaza “is unprecedented, the human tragedy unfolding under our watch is unbearable.”
Despite half the population of Gaza being told to evacuate south by Israeli occupation forces, significant numbers of Gazans have been killed as they sought sanctuary, it added.
“I have said many times and I will say it again: no place is safe in Gaza”, said the UNRWA chief.
This “forced displacement” has left more than 670,000 in overcrowded UNRWA schools and basements.
The emergency meeting was reportedly called for by the United Arab Emirates, the sole Arab nation on the 15-member Council. – BERNAMA-WAFA
