<\/p>\n
13 August 2024<\/p>\n
The Israeli attack on the al-Tabeen school in Gaza City on 10\u00a0August underscored the desperate need to reach a ceasefire, free the hostages, and scale up humanitarian aid to Gaza, a senior Â鶹APP official told the Security Council today, as delegates voiced concern over rising regional tensions.<\/p>\n
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs<\/a><\/strong>, said that, according to local Palestinian sources, the Israel Defense Forces airstrike in the al-Tabeen school compound killed dozens of Palestinians and wounded many others, including women and children.\u00a0 According to Israel, its Forces targeted a Hamas command centre in a mosque inside the compound and killed at least 31 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters. \u00a0On 12\u00a0August, Hamas announced the killing of a hostage and serious injury of two others by Hamas militants while in captivity in Gaza.\u00a0 She said that with hostilities continuing across the Strip \u2014 including in the north around Gaza City, in the middle area in Khan Younis, and in and around Rafah \u2014 \u201cthe situation remains catastrophic for civilians\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cNo place is safe in Gaza, yet civilians continue to be ordered to evacuate to ever-shrinking areas,\u201d she said, warning that 10 months since the start of the war, the threat of further regional escalation is \u201cmore palpable and chilling than ever\u201d.\u00a0 Exchanges of fire across the Blue Line have continued nearly daily, she said, noting that since her last briefing on 31\u00a0July, numerous projectiles have been fired from Lebanon, causing damage to buildings and bushfires in open areas. \u00a0The Israel Defence Forces responded with strikes while uncrewed aerial vehicles crossing the Blue Line from southern Lebanon have also continued.<\/p>\n She further voiced concern over the worsening situation and ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. \u00a0On 3\u00a0August, the Israel Defense Forces said it conducted two airstrikes on a Hamas cell in Tulkarem, killing nine Palestinians who they said were planning to conduct an attack inside Israel.\u00a0 Also, their separate operations in Jenin and Tubas early last week killed another 16 Palestinians. \u00a0On 11\u00a0August, a shooting attack claimed by Hamas killed one Israeli civilian and wounded another in the northern Jordan Valley.\u00a0 Another Palestinian shooting attack near Qalqilia reportedly injured one Israeli and two Palestinians. \u00a0\u201cIf the slide towards an even greater catastrophe is to be halted, the parties must end all escalatory rhetoric and actions,\u201d she said, calling for regional de-escalation in the interest of long-term peace and stability.<\/p>\n In this regard, she welcomed efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to bring both sides to conclude a deal to bring about a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and desperately needed humanitarian relief.\u00a0Their call for immediate relief to the people of Gaza and the hostages and their families must be heeded, she stressed, urging all parties to prioritize the protection of civilians and promptly conclude this deal as endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 2735 (2024).\u00a0 However, she cautioned, \u201cin the absence of a clear path towards a future in which Israelis see their legitimate security needs materialize and Palestinians see their legitimate aspirations for a fully independent, viable and sovereign State realized, lasting peace in the Middle East will remain elusive\u201d.<\/p>\n Lisa Doughten, Director of the Financing and Partnerships Division<\/a> of the Â鶹APP Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, speaking on behalf of acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya<\/strong>, said that \u2014 according to initial reports \u2014 the strike on Al Tabi\u2019een School was \u201cone of the deadliest attacks\u201d and \u201cat least the twenty-first strike on a school that has been serving as a shelter recorded since 4\u00a0July this year\u201d. \u00a0Painting a grim picture caused by the \u201cunremitting violence\u201d in Gaza, she reported nearly 40,000 Palestinians killed, over 90,000 injured, and around 10,000 unaccounted for, likely buried under rubble. \u00a0An estimated 115 hostages remain captive.<\/p>\n She highlighted the dire state of Gaza\u2019s health-care system, with thousands in critical condition awaiting medical evacuations. \u00a0Over 60\u00a0per\u00a0cent of residential buildings and 65\u00a0per\u00a0cent of roads are damaged or destroyed. \u00a0\u201cIn just two weeks, more than a quarter of a million people have been displaced,\u201d she said, noting that civilians are being killed and injured in places deemed safe. \u00a0With six poliovirus strains detected in June, she warned that \u201cpolio looms as a new threat\u201d and stressed that \u201chealth workers must be allowed to carry out an immunization campaign.\u201d \u00a0The conflict has disrupted education for over half a million students and inflicted long-term psychological trauma that people of all ages will \u201ccarry for the rest of their lives\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we are seeing in Gaza is the result of a war waged with pitiful \u2014 if any \u2014 regard for the requirements of international law,\u201d she said, reiterating civilians\u2019 right to seek protection. \u00a0She went on to detail the challenges hindering humanitarian aid, including attacks on aid workers, fuel shortages and organized crime, which leave thousands without vital assistance. \u00a0\u201cCan this Council look the children, the people of Gaza, and all those affected by this war in the eye \u2014 as humanitarian workers have to do every day \u2014 and swear that no stone has been left unturned to end their suffering?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 Against this backdrop, she called for urgent actions: \u00a0a ceasefire, adherence to international humanitarian law and the provision of unhindered humanitarian aid. \u00a0\u201cI urge this Council and all Member States to use your influence to [\u2026] end this conflict and its intolerable toll,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this going to be yet another ineffective, vain and hopeless meeting?\u201d asked Algeria\u2019s delegate<\/strong>, adding that \u201cthis is not how the Council should address the Palestinians\u2019 plea, their quest for justice and their rights to exist\u201d.\u00a0 For 311 days, the Council has been constantly fooled and disregarded, while an entire population has been subjected to collective punishment. \u00a0On the Israeli airstrikes on the Al Tabi\u2019een school compound in Gaza, he cited the harrowing testimony of one of the survivors: \u00a0A father said that \u201che has been given 18 kilograms of body parts and buried them as the body of his martyred son\u201d.\u00a0 This heinous massacre would not have been possible without the generous military assistance freely provided to the aggressor, he pointed out.<\/p>\n The Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine<\/strong> said that, while the Council demands Israel to stop killing civilians, its Defense Forces target them in their shelters and tents.\u00a0 \u201cAs the genocide continues, you have a responsibility to react,\u201d he asserted, adding that the Palestinians in Gaza cannot wait for the tide to turn. \u00a0\u201cTheir agony must stop now, right now,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0\u201cDo you ever think, what if you were born in Gaza? \u00a0What if the prisoner raped was your son? \u00a0What if the children starving to death were your own?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n However, \u201cevery time the world pushes for a ceasefire, Israel responds with a massacre\u201d, he said, stressing that the country cannot continue to defy every rule of humankind.\u00a0 Israel has no right to commit genocide and nothing can justify its actions, he stated, adding that its Government is killing and abandoning the hostages. \u00a0To those who continue to arm Israel and have the audacity to call on that country \u201cto investigate\u201d its own crimes, he said: \u00a0\u201cWake up\u201d.\u00a0Palestinians are exhausted, \u201csurrounded by death and endless horrors, and they know your words are no match for the bombs and bullets taking away their lives and limbs\u201d, he said, calling on the Council to act.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s delegate<\/strong> meanwhile countered that the UN is echoing the campaign of lies by the Gaza Ministry of Health \u2014 the Hamas \u2014 and holding an emergency session based on jihadist propaganda.\u00a0 Once again, \u201cthe Council is amplifying terrorist narratives\u201d, neglecting its obligation to the truth, he said, adding that Israel did not target an innocent school but dangerous terrorists operating in a Hamas-controlled centre in Al Tabi\u2019een school.\u00a0 \u201cAs usual, Hamas cynically abuses civilian facilities which should be protected as their terror basis,\u201d he said, adding that the Israeli strike eliminated at least 31 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad terrorists who carried out attacks from inside this compound.\u00a0 \u201cWe neutralized dozens of vicious terrorists who used the school for their evil goals, in direct violation of international law,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n The building itself is still intact which would be physically impossible if Hamas\u2019 claims are to be believed, he continued.\u00a0 While Israel is taking every possible measure to minimize collateral damage, Hamas uses civilians as human shields.\u00a0 In the meantime, millions of Israelis are preparing for a direct attack by Iran whose aggression \u201cthreatens the entire region with war\u201d, he observed, emphasizing that \u201cJerusalem will never fall again\u201d, no matter how many times its enemies attempt to destroy it.<\/p>\n Voicing deep concern about reports of civilian casualties following Israel\u2019s strike on a school compound in Gaza, the United States\u2019 representative<\/strong> reiterated that country\u2019s obligation \u201cto do everything possible under international humanitarian law to protect civilians\u201d. \u00a0Underscoring Israel\u2019s right to pursue Hamas, she emphasized that it \u201cmust take measures to minimize civilian harm\u201d and stressed the importance of a ceasefire to end the suffering of the people of Gaza and the hostages. \u00a0\u201cThere is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Against this backdrop, she called on both sides to resume urgent discussion on Thursday, 15\u00a0August, in Doha or Cairo to close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay, noting that a ceasefire could restore essential services, enable a vaccination campaign and facilitate the release of hostages. \u00a0On the escalating regional tensions, she said that the deployment by the United States of additional military assets was \u201cnot a prediction of what is to come\u201d but an attempt to \u201cturn the temperature down,\u201d adding: \u00a0\u201cA broader regional conflict is not inevitable\u201d.<\/p>\n Her counterpart from the United Kingdom<\/strong> said his delegation is \u201cappalled\u201d by the military strike on the school where Palestinian civilians were sheltering. \u201cSadly, this was not the only Israeli strike on schools-turned-shelters we have seen,\u201d he said, noting that there were 17 such attacks in July alone.\u00a0 Noting that 86\u00a0per\u00a0cent of Gaza is now under evacuation orders, he pointed out:\u00a0\u201cSome of these orders have been issued by Israel in the middle of the night with minimal notice.\u201d\u00a0 Also expressing horror about the reports of sexual violence and abuse faced by the hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention, many of whom are children, he said Hamas must release all the hostages and Israel must grant the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to prisoners.<\/p>\n France\u2019s delegate<\/strong> said it is crucial to end the war, \u201cfor the people of Gaza, for the hostages, for the region\u2019s stability.\u201d\u00a0 Condemning the Israeli strikes on Al Tabi\u2019een school, she called for an urgent, immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Strip and the immediate release, without conditions, of all hostages.\u00a0 Also condemning the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas and other terrorist groups, she said a two-State solution is the only way to guarantee stability and security in the region.\u00a0 She also voiced support for extending the mandate of the Â鶹APP Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another 12 months.<\/p>\n Strongly condemning Israel\u2019s airstrikes on the Al Tabi\u2019een school in Gaza, the representative of China<\/strong> said that attacking in broad daylight a school where a large number of civilians shelter is \u201ca heinous act\u201d.\u00a0 Over the past 10 months, millions of people in Gaza have seen their homes destroyed and forced to move from place to place, \u201conly to be met with indiscriminate bombardment and death\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cAs we speak, nowhere is safe in Gaza,\u201d he said, calling for an immediate ceasefire.\u00a0However, instead of credible signs of Israel\u2019s commitment to a ceasefire, the world is witnessing ever-expanding military operations and uprising civilian casualties.\u00a0Highlighting Washington, D.C.\u2019s influence over Israel, he urged that country to take sincere actions to push Tel Aviv to stop its military operation in Gaza and slaughtering civilians.<\/p>\n The attacks on the Al Tabi\u2019een school are part of an ongoing pattern employed by the Israeli Defense Forces, characterized by a complete disregard for the humanitarian principle of proportionality, said Guyana\u2019s delegate<\/strong>.\u00a0Citing Israel\u2019s unrelenting assault against the Palestinian people as \u201ca tragedy of such cruel proportions that it is difficult to find anything comparable in modern history\u201d, she said people are starving and living in the most inhumane conditions imaginable, with virtually no access to medicine and health care. \u00a0Also, she said, the torture \u2014 including sexual violence \u2014 to which Palestinian detainees are subject is illustrative of \u201ca level of depravity and debauchery that should never find expression among the agents of a civilized nation, more so a Â鶹APP Member State\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cExtremely shaken by the Israeli strike on the Al Tabi\u2019een school\u201d, the representative of the Russian Federation<\/strong> painted a grim picture of the horrors and suffering the civilians in Gaza must face daily.\u00a0 At the time, over 2000 refugees were sheltering there and over 100 people died, many women and children.\u00a0 However, this is not an isolated incident, he stressed, adding that \u2014 according to the\u00a0Office of the Â鶹APP High Commissioner for Human Rights\u00a0(OHCHR) \u2014 since 4\u00a0July, Israel has carried out 24 strikes on schools where displaced people were located.\u00a0 As a result, 274 people have died.<\/p>\n Faced with this reality, \u201cthe Council reminds us more of a passive and powerless bystander who can only report on the worsening situation and express its concern,\u201d he said, noting that 14 Council members are held hostage by the United States, which blocks any action towards an immediate ceasefire.\u00a0 Moreover, he stated, Israel does not intend to stop its military operation, regardless of the Council\u2019s position, as testified by the blatant provocative murder of Hamas\u2019 main negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.\u00a0 Urging the Council to make the Middle East visits a priority, he warned that the entire region is \u201con the brink of falling into a full-scale war\u201d.<\/p>\n The representative of South Africa<\/strong> expressed regret that some Council members continue to support and defend Israel as it commits \u201cthe most despicable crimes against humanity the world has ever seen\u201d. \u00a0The inability of the Council to find a solution to this \u201cintractable\u201d conflict is an \u201cindictment\u201d on this body, he said, stressing that Israel\u2019s impunity \u201cputs to question the whole meaning of \u2018legally binding\u2019.\u201d \u00a0Recalling the assassination of Hamas leader in Tehran, he cautioned that it will likely \u201cfurther compound\u201d the situation in a volatile region.<\/p>\n Similarly, the continued occupation of Palestine, destruction of infrastructure, collective punishment and extrajudicial assassinations will make the realization of a peaceful solution to the Palestinian question \u201cmuch more difficult to achieve,\u201d he stressed. \u00a0\u201cThe Council must immediately ensure respect for its resolutions in line with its mandate if it is to successfully mend \u2018the cracks in its foundation\u2019 and avert a situation where these cracks \u2018become too large to ignore\u2019,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n Numerous Council members \u2014 including Malta<\/strong> \u2014 condemned the \u201chorrific\u201d attack on the Al Tabi\u2019een school compound in Gaza and the violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties. \u00a0\u201cKilling militants cannot justify killing civilians, including children,\u201d said the delegate from the Republic of Korea, noting that this was Israel\u2019s eighth bombing of a school sheltering civilians so far in August alone. \u00a0Despite facing numerous challenges in fighting against Hamas, Israel must observe international law, he stressed.<\/p>\n Among many delegates voicing alarm over the exacerbating humanitarian situation in the Strip was Japan\u2019s representative<\/strong>. \u00a0\u201cGaza is truly in agony,\u201d she said, pointing out the significant shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, experienced by the Palestinians forced to flee \u201cagain and again\u201d. \u00a0\u201cStarving more than 2\u00a0million Palestinians in Gaza cannot be morally justified,\u201d she emphasized, urging Israel to lift all impediments to humanitarian assistance and to protect human dignity.<\/p>\n Spotlighting the recent detection of samples of variant poliovirus, Sierra Leone\u2019s representative<\/strong>, Council President for August, called for \u201cthe facilitation of unobstructed access into and within Gaza through all crossing points for all vaccinations\u201d. \u00a0\u201cThe vaccination campaign by the UN and its partners must be made possible without delay,\u201d echoed Switzerland\u2019s delegate.<\/p>\n Expressing concern over the escalatory trend in the region, some members \u2014 including Mozambique<\/strong> and Ecuador<\/strong> \u2014 underscored the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza, with the representative of Slovenia urging the Council to establish a clear deadline for the conclusion of the deal: \u00a0\u201cThere is no more time to spare. There are no more innocent lives to be wasted\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n 13 August 2024 Watch Security Council’s 9704th Meeting Humanitarian Official Describes Pitiful Regard for International Law, as Delegates Deplore Continued Attacks on Civilians, Suffering of Palestinians The Israeli attack on the al-Tabeen school in Gaza City on 10\u00a0August underscored the desperate need to reach a ceasefire, free the hostages, and scale up humanitarian aid […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[660,759,807,834,867,897,906,969,5248,1593,1074,5836,1128,2321,2553],"document-category":[1329,2805],"document-source":[1362,6169],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,2005,1741,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-300080","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","country-algeria","country-china","country-ecuador","country-france","country-guyana","country-israel","country-japan","country-malta","country-mozambique","country-palestine-state-of","country-russian-federation","country-sierra-leone","country-south-africa","country-united-kingdom","country-united-states-of-america","document-category-press-release","document-category-video","document-source-security-council","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/300080","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\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/300080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300101,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/300080\/revisions\/300101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=300080"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=300080"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=300080"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=300080"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=300080"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=300080"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=300080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n