UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan, on behalf of a group of 17 countries, called on the United Nations (UN) to “urgently” come up with a mechanism to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians being subjected to relentless and reckless bombardment in Gaza by the Israeli military and to strengthen efforts to promote a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.
This was expressed by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, to the UN General Assembly at an informal meeting held to discuss the dire situation in the besieged territory, adding that the innocent people of Gaza are desperately looking up to the UN to protect and save them from further devastation and destruction that is being inflicted upon them with impunity.
Munir Akram further said that the proposed mechanism should be set up in accordance with international law and with the United Nations resolutions.
The group of countries Munir Aram spoke for was comprised of Algeria, Bolivia, China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Iran, Libya, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, and Zimbabwe.
The Pakistani ambassador informed the 193-member Assembly that over 11,000 Palestinians had lost their lives, where two-thirds of them were women and children. In addition, 27,000 were injured, while other 1,500 children, reported missing, dead, or trapped under the rubble.
UN Urged to Play Role in Ensuring Peace
The envoy lamented that more than 1.6 million Gazans have been displaced, and over 41,000 housing units have been damaged or destroyed. Most of the hospitals in Gaza are non-functional due to scarcity of fuel, continued attacks, and insecurity, he said, adding that the dilemma was essential supplies of food, medicines, and fuel are blocked while schools and places of worship are being targeted indiscriminately by Israeli strikes. He added that there was no safe place for civilians, particularly women, children, and the elderly, as they were compelled to remain in the open sky and face the brutal attacks of the Israeli military.
He paid tribute to UNRWA’s 102 staff members who lost their lives in Gaza due to interrupted bombardment, adding that it was the highest number of UN aid workers killed in a conflict in the organization’s history.
Munir Akram demanded the world community, particularly the UN member states, to take decisive action to end the conflict.
“We strongly reject and condemn any attempt at the forced displacement of the Palestinian people and the illegal evacuations and relocations inside Gaza and consider it a blatant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and its 1977 Protocol,” Munir Akram said, adding that the world needs an immediate return of the displaced Palestinian people to their homeland.
Munir Akram called upon the international community and the UN member states to come up with a one-point agenda to promptly address the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, compelling Israel to stop its occupation and hostilities, put an end to atrocities, guarantee unchecked, and uninterrupted access to humanitarian aid and to ensure that those responsible for their criminal acts against the Palestinian people should be held accountable.
