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At Algeria’s request, UNSC convenes to discuss famine in northern Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
12 Nov 2024 06:22

The UN Security Council is meeting to address northern Gaza's imminent famine crisis, following urgent calls from Algeria and other nations.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria Ahmed Attaf speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Friday, Sep. 27, 2024. (AP)

The UN Security Council is set to meet Tuesday evening to address the famine in northern Gaza. This meeting, requested by Algeria alongside Guyana, Slovenia, and Switzerland, follows a report by the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

The report, which was issued last Friday, warned of an "imminent risk of famine" in northern Gaza, calling for immediate action within days, not weeks, to prevent disaster.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is "extremely dire and deteriorating rapidly," with severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel, exacerbated by the Israeli siege and ongoing conflict.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the warning from global food security experts of potential famine in northern Gaza is deeply concerning, calling for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid and its safe delivery.

This is not the first time that Algeria has requested an urgent UNSC session amid "Israel's" persistence in its genocide against the people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip.

Last month, in mid-October, Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ammar Benjamaa, during his speech before the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, stressed the need for the Security Council to act decisively to preserve what remains of its credibility and impose a ceasefire in Gaza, given that "Israel" entity is using starvation as a weapon of war.

The Algerian diplomat's remarks come against the backdrop of "Israel's" ongoing strict siege on northern Gaza, particularly the Jabalia refugee camp, which is now on its 39th day but was then on its 12th consecutive day.