Palestine’s UN Ambassador appeals for ceasefire in Gaza, end to forced displacement

NEW YORK: Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations, has called upon the UN Security Council and the international community to take immediate measures to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the urgent need to provide humanitarian assistance and halt the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians. In letters addressed to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council for the current month (France), and the President of the UN General Assembly, Mansour highlighted Israel's continued aggressive attacks against Palestinian civilians living under its occupation, spanning almost 100 days. Mansour expressed his concern, stating, "Despite the toll reaching approximately 100,000 casualties, there is still no ceasefire, leading to the daily loss of more innocent lives." He underscored the devastating impact of Israel's war, resulting in the deaths of 23,708 civilians, including children, women, and men. Over 60,000 others have been injured, with more than 7,00 0 individuals still missing under the rubble. The representative emphasized that Israel's crimes are not confined to Gaza, citing over 332 casualties and 4,157 injuries in attacks launched by Israeli occupation forces and terrorist settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of the aggression. Mansour stated the stark reality that all Palestinian civilians have fallen victim to Israel's genocidal aggression, characterized by continuous attempts at forced displacement and ethnic cleansing, including what is misleadingly termed "voluntary migration." He pointed out the suffering of all citizens, facing hunger and thirst due to Israel's obstruction of humanitarian aid. The rapid spread of diseases among them is worsening, with Mansour stressing that this unprecedented aggression has no modern precedent in terms of its scale and speed in killing and maiming civilians, especially children, UN personnel, medical professionals, and journalists. Calling on all countries to act in both word and deed, Mansour urged support for international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, to put an end to the Gaza crisis. He appealed to all nations to take immediate steps, including urgent and sincere efforts to implement recent UN resolutions addressing the Gaza crisis. The goal is to ensure an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, protect civilian populations, expedite humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and prevent further escalation in an already catastrophic situation. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA