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By Iftikhar Ali
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 23 (APP): A senior UN official on Wednesday urged the Security Council to push for an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli war in Gaza and the release of all hostages, warning that the war has become “a nightmare of historic proportions” and it is “long past time” for the fighting to end and for hostages to return home.
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, told the 15-member Council that ongoing talks must lead to a permanent end to hostilities, the release of all hostages, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, and for recovery and reconstruction to begin.
Today’s quarterly meeting on the situation in the Middle East was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, in Pakistan’s capacity as President of the Security Council for the month of July.
In his remarks, Khiari, the senior UN official, painted a grim picture of conditions on the ground, citing expanded Israeli military operations, particularly in Deir Al-Balah, which have led to further mass displacement.
UN premises were also struck, hampering humanitarian operations and exacerbating the already dire situation.
At least 1,891 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since 30 June, according to figures from Gazan health authorities, including 294 people reportedly killed while attempting to collect aid near militarised distribution points.
Evacuation orders continue to force repeated displacement, while food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening despite a limited uptick in the entry of humanitarian supplies.
On the Israeli side, 13 soldiers have been killed in the same period. Palestinian armed groups have continued sporadic rocket attacks into Israel. According to Israeli sources, 50 hostages – including 28 believed to be dead – are still being held by Hamas and other groups.
“The Secretary-General has repeatedly condemned the continued holding of hostages by Hamas and other armed groups,” Khiari stressed. “Hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
The briefing also highlighted growing concerns about civilian casualties and attacks on protected sites.
Khiari condemned a 17 July strike on the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, which killed three and injured several others. The strike forced the evacuation of roughly 600 Palestinians, including children and persons with special needs, who had been sheltering there.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office expressed regret, describing the strike as the result of “stray ammunition,” and said an investigation was underway, Khiari reported.
Since 9 July, Israel has allowed limited fuel deliveries through the Kerem Shalom/Karim Abu Salem crossing, after 130 days of a full blockade.
However, the amount is “a fraction of what is required to run essential life-saving services in Gaza, where nearly every aspect of life depends on fuel,” Mr. Khiari warned.
Turning to the occupied West Bank, Mr. Khiari reported high levels of violence, including deadly Israeli military operations, attacks by settlers on Palestinians and retaliatory attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.
He noted that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing a severe fiscal crisis, with $2.7 billion in withheld clearance revenues, crippling its ability to pay salaries and provide basic services.
“Unless urgently addressed, the deterioration of the PA’s fiscal and institutional situation could have catastrophic consequences, undermining the significant progress made over many years to build up Palestinian institutions,” he warned, urging immediate international support.
Khiari also highlighted continued tensions along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, as well as renewed violence in Syria’s Sweida region and Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory.
He urged both Israel and Syria to adhere to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and to avoid any actions that risk escalating the conflict.
Khiari concluded by reiterating that only a revived political process towards the two-State solution can deliver a sustainable solution.
“Our goal is clear: realizing the vision of two States – Israel and a viable and sovereign Palestinian State of which Gaza is an integral part – living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States,” he said.
On his part, the Palestinian Ambassador, Riyadh Mansour, reported that four-year-old Razan fought for as long as she could, but her body gave up and she died of malnutrition on Sunday, as he described the appalling conditions in Gaza. Yesterday, six-week-old Yousef died of starvation and he was among 15 people starved to death in the last 24 hours in the enclave.
“Israel has destroyed everything, their lives, their homes, the mosques and the churches, the schools and the hospitals, the entire infrastructure of life and even the cemeteries,” Ambassador Mansour said, warning: “But make no mistake, the real target is the two million Palestinians who remain in Gaza. For Israel, their destruction is required for its scheme to take over the land.”
Pakistan’s DPM/FM, Ishaq Dar, said, “Gaza has become graveyards for innocent lives, as well as for the international law, particularly the international humanitarian law.” The systematic targeting of hospitals, schools, UN facilities, aid convoys and refugee camps are “not incidental”, but “deliberate acts of collective punishment”.
“The Palestinian question is a litmus test for the credibility of the United Nations, the Security Council and the integrity of the international law,” Dar said, emphasizing that “failure to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people will embolden impunity and undermine the legitimacy of the very international order we all claim to defend and uphold”.
The international conference to be convened by Saudi Arabia and France at the end of this month offers a unique opportunity to transform international law and the international consensus into an actionable plan and demonstrate resolve to end the occupation and conflict once and for all the people, he said.
Russia’s delegate, Dmitry Polyanski that despite the Trump Administration’s announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the situation remains fragile, questioning Washington, D.C.’s “peace through strength” approach.
“The long-standing issues in the regions cannot be resolved this way,” he said, as new waves of violence can only compound the difficulties.
The “cowboy-style” attempts create a short-term effect but cannot provide for a long-term balance of interest in this very difficult Middle East landscape, the Russian delegate said.
West Jerusalem should finally understand that it’s impossible to change geography and that Israel would have to coexist with all its neighbours, he said.
Algeria’s Ambassador Amar Bendjama said that to barbarity, “our answer must be dignity”; to starvation, it must be lifeline aid; to injustice, it must be the supremacy of law; to the attempt to erase a nation, it must be the establishment of a Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The Council will resume its session in the afternoon.
The acting United States’ envoy, Dorothy Shea, insisted that “Hamas must accept the deal on the table,” said the representative of the United States, referring to the ceasefire proposal already accepted by Israel. “Anything short will only perpetuate the suffering of hostages in captivity, of their families desperate to unite with loved ones and of Gazans who deserve to live free of Hamas’ tyranny.”
This Council must meet the moment by pressuring Hamas must accept the ceasefire deal, release the 50 remaining hostages held for more than 650 days, and disarm and leave Gaza forever.
“Shielding Hamas from accountability undermines Israel’s security, rewards terrorism and does nothing to improve the lives of Palestinians,” she said.
The United States entirely refutes allegations that Israeli actions amount to genocide, the US envoy claimed. “The loss of civilian life in Gaza is tragic, but the responsibility for this rests with Hamas,” she said.
Addressing allegations of Israel’s plans to move Gazans to other countries, she said that Washington, D.C., does not support the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
The meeting will be resumed later this afternoon.