U.S. calls out Israel at U.N. for 'catastrophic conditions' in Gaza
The Hindu
UNRWA head warns of intolerable conditions and potential famine in Gaza, US criticizes new evacuation order.
Israel needs to address urgently "catastrophic conditions" among Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and stop "intensifying suffering" by limiting aid deliveries, its ally the United States told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
Referring to reports of squalid conditions in south and central Gaza, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, "These catastrophic conditions were predicted months ago, and yet they have still not been addressed. That must change, and now."
"We call on Israel to take urgent steps to do so," she said in a blunt statement.
The 15-member Security Council met over the humanitarian crisis a year after a deadly attack by Palestinian militants Hamas on southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza. Israel has since laid to waste much of the enclave and almost the entire population of 2.3 million has been displaced.
Israel says Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, while health authorities in Gaza say nearly 42,000 people have been killed so far during Israel's retaliation. Thomas-Greenfield also addressed a recent Israeli order for civilians in Gaza's north to evacuate again, saying they must be able to return to communities to rebuild.
Also Read: U.S. spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since Gaza war
"There must be no demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza," Thomas-Greenfield said.
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