Lebanon rep. to UNSC: 'We are in a race against time'
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Multiple international officials and diplomats warned against an impeding famine in the Gaza Strip if the UNSC does not take action.
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Hadi Hachem UN representative for Lebanon speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question at UN headquarters, October 29, 2024. (AP)
Warning of the grave consequences of the continued Israeli aggression in the region, Lebanon's Ambassador to the United Nations, Hadi Hachem, urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to intervene and take immediate measures.
"We are in a race against time," Hachem said, during a meeting of the UNSC on Tuesday.
"We can’t wait any longer to move; the Council must intervene now and take immediate measures to prevent this disaster," Lebanon's Ambassador, who was speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, underlined.
The council met on Tuesday to discuss growing threats of famine hitting the besieged Gaza Strip.
On the threat of famine, Hachem said that the world is watching a people, who may survive the Israeli genocidal war but will die of hunger in the next few days if the international community takes no action.
"Today, the credibility of your Council is at stake," he asserted.
Renewing the call for the UNSC to stop the war immediately and condemn "Israel’s" use of collective punishment, Hachem said that the recently held summit in Saudi Arabia resulted in several decisions that will be implemented to confront the Israeli aggression on Lebanon and Gaza.
Read more: At Algeria’s request, UNSC convenes to discuss famine in northern Gaza
Algeria: Palestinians are dying from starvation
Meanwhile, Algeria's Ambassador Amar Bendjama, stressed that Palestinians are "literally dying from starvation" in the Gaza Strip.
He said that the Israeli occupation is employing a "clear use of starvation as a method of war which constitutes a war crime."
Bendjama explained that Israeli motives behind these policies have become "starkly clear," adding that the regime is attempting to "empty" the northern Gaza Strip of its residents.
He called the Israeli aggression on the northern Gaza Strip, which includes the forced displacement of civilians from the area, a blatant violation of UNSC resolutions.
"This Council must act now, decisively, to end this collective punishment and uphold our commitment to international humanitarian law," he concluded.
Read more: North Gaza on brink of 'imminent famine' amid ongoing Israeli siege
No excuse for situation in Gaza
Multiple UN officials have described the situation in Gaza as "catastrophic," including Ilze Brands Kehris the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, who briefed the UNSC.
Yet Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon rejected the concerns of humanitarian organizations, multiple governments, and international organizations, claiming that there is no imminent famine in Gaza.
"The obsession with vilifying Israel is detached from reality," he said.
On the other hand, the United Kingdom's Lord Collins of Highbury, speaking in his national capacity for the UK, which holds the Council presidency for the month, said that the situation was "completely unacceptable.
He said that aid "funded by the international community" cannot travel for a few kilometers to reach civilians in need in Gaza.
He said that there was "no excuse for the Israeli Government’s ongoing restrictions on humanitarian assistance. They fly in the face of Israel’s public commitments."
"Time has run out,” he said, "and urgent solutions are required now to prevent the very worst from unfolding."
Read more: US says 'Israel' not violating aid law Gaza aid despite looming famine
