Palestinian UN envoy urges action to halt genocide in Gaza
Palestine's envoy highlighted the plight of Palestinian medical personnel who continue to save lives despite facing attacks and life-threatening conditions.
Palestine's Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour has called on the UN Security Council to take immediate steps to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Addressing the council on Friday during a meeting on the Middle East, Mansour stressed the collective responsibility of the international community to halt the violence.
"It is our collective responsibility to bring this hell to an end. It is our collective responsibility to bring this genocide to an end," Mansour stated, urging council members to act decisively.
The meeting followed a raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital, where Israeli forces detained the hospital director, Hussam Abu Safiya. Mansour highlighted the plight of Palestinian medical personnel who continue to save lives despite facing attacks and life-threatening conditions.
"You have an obligation to save lives. Palestinian doctors and medical personnel took that mission to heart at the peril of their lives. They did not abandon the victims. Do not abandon them. End Israeli impunity. End the genocide. End this aggression immediately and unconditionally, now," he told the council.
Mansour commended the unwavering dedication of Palestinian medical teams, saying, "They are fighting a battle they cannot win, and yet they are unwilling to surrender and to betray the oath they took."
⚡️Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour broke into tears on during a session of the UN Security Council as he quoted the final words of Dr. Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, who was killed in 2023 during an Israeli strike.
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Read more: UN rights chief tells UNSC Gaza a 'human rights catastrophe'
The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed on December 28, 2024, that Israeli occupation forces have detained Dr. Husam Abu Safiya. The day prior, the ministry stated that the occupation forces had taken dozens of medical staff, including Abu Safiya, to an interrogation center following the burning of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
The detention sparked worldwide outrage, as observers fear that Abu Safiya might face a fate similar to that of Dr. Adnan al-Bursh of Al-Shifa Hospital, who was tortured to death by Israeli forces.
The Israeli occupation's imprisoning of Abu Safiya "only exposes the cowardice of the oppressive regime that detains him," Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a tweet.
On a related note, the Biden administration notified Congress earlier in the day of a proposed $8 billion arms sale to "Israel."