Currently Online 
Britain, Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia: Israel must ‘reverse’ decision to seize Gaza City
The countries that have called today’s session of the UN Security Council have issued a joint statement that condemns Israel’s plan to seize Gaza City, saying that it risks “violating international humanitarian law” and will “only endanger the lives of all civilians in Gaza”.
“We call on Israel to urgently reverse this decision and not to implement” the plan, the statement reads.
It goes on to say that Israel’s decision will do nothing to secure the return of the remaining captives still held in Gaza, and would even endanger their lives.
The countries also called the current starvation of Gaza a “manmade crisis”, and said that “urgent action is needed to halt starvation and to surge aid into Gaza”.
“We have a clear message for Israel: lift restrictions on aid delivery to allow the UN and established humanitarian partners to operate safely and at scale, in line with the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence”, the statement says.
Israeli plans will ‘trigger another calamity in Gaza’: UN official
The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, placing Palestinians in peril and further endangering the lives of the captives, Miroslav Jenca, the UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, has told the UN Security Council.
The latest plans for Gaza by the government of Israel risk “igniting another horrific chapter in this conflict, with potential consequences beyond Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory”, he said in his opening remarks.
Jenca pointed out that details are not finalised yet, but the government foresees the displacement of all civilians from Gaza City by October 7, 2025, affecting some 800,000 people, many of them previously displaced. The Israeli army would then surround the city for three months, followed by an additional two months to seize control of central Gaza’s camps.
“We are already witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe of unimaginable scale in Gaza,” he said.
“If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings and destruction, compounding the unbearable suffering of the population.”
‘This is starvation, pure and simple’: UN aid coordinator
Ramesh Rajasingham, the director of the coordination division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has just addressed the Security Council via video link. Here is a summary of his main points:
- “Our shared humanity demands that this unacceptable catastrophe” in Gaza be brought to an “immediate end”.
- He expressed extreme concern over “the prolonged conflict, the reports of atrocities and further human toll that is likely to unfold following the government of Israel’s decision to expand military operations in Gaza”.
- A “grim milestone” has also been crossed in the humanitarian community with more than 500 workers killed in Gaza since hostilities escalated.
- There is “no longer a looming hunger crisis. This is starvation, pure and simple.”
- The humanitarian system has “effectively collapsed”.
- “Doctors have been killed or detained, and facilities are working without sufficient medical supplies, water and sanitation infrastructure.”
- “Extreme desperation is driving people to take the humanitarian aid in transit, but this need not be the case. We’ve seen that when assistance is rapidly and significantly scaled up, incidents of looting and insecurity decline.”
- “The UN has a plan and the systems in place to respond. We’ve said this before, and we will say it again and again: Let us work.”
