UNITED NATIONS:
Pakistan has called upon the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take immediate action to stop Israel from occupying Gaza City, amid warning from the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) that the Gaza Strip faces a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis.
Speaking at an emergency meeting on Israel’s plans to control Gaza City, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad urged the UNSC to bind Israel under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to desist from occupying Gaza.
“Pakistan believes that action needs to be taken now. The UNSC must immediately call upon Israel under Chapter VII of the Charter to refrain from its stated plan of occupying Gaza City,” Ambassador Ahmad told the meeting.
“The UNSC must be ready to impose a cost on Israel if it defies the demand of the Council — the council must enact enforcement measures, including the deployment of an international protection force to save the besieged population,” he added.
The UNSC session came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at the wave of criticism targeting his cabinet’s decision to expand the conflict in Gaza, saying the country was prepared to fight without the support of others.
UN Assistant Secretary Miroslav Jenca told the session that Israel’s plans to control Gaza City risked “another calamity” with far-reaching consequences. “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,” Jenca said.
Also, the meeting was held after UNRWA said in its latest report that the Gaza Strip faces a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis, with Israel not allowing any agency aid into the battered enclave for the past five months, resulting in mounting malnutrition deaths.
“For over 150 days, not a single truck from UNRWA has been permitted to deliver food, medicine or other essentials into Gaza,” the agency said. “This denial of access is costing lives every single day.” UNRWA said nearly 350 of its own staff are among the dead since Gaza war began on October 7, 2023.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, cited by the UN, at least 61,158 Palestinians have been killed and more than 151,000 injured since October, amid relentless Israeli bombardment and ground operations.
UNRWA urged immediate, unhindered humanitarian access. “We need the world to act — to open the crossings, to stop the suffering, and to uphold the most basic principles of humanity,” it said.
