Palestinian UN ambassador pleads for rebuke of Gaza aid deaths

鈥淭his outrageous massacre is a testimony to the fact that as long as the Security Council is paralyzed and vetoes (are) casted, then it is costing the Palestinian people their lives,鈥� Mansour said. (AFP/File)
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  • Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians scrambling for food aid on Thursday
  • The Security Council held a meeting to discuss the morning鈥檚 events in Gaza at the request of Algeria

UNITED NATIONS: The Palestinian ambassador to the UN on Thursday pleaded for the Security Council to condemn the episode in Gaza that saw Israeli forces open fire on Palestinians scrambling for food aid.

鈥淭he Security Council should say enough is enough,鈥� Riyad Mansour told reporters ahead of a closed-door meeting by the body, which came at the request of Algeria.

The meeting was held to discuss the morning鈥檚 events in Gaza, where Israeli forces opened fire on the Palestinians in a chaotic melee that the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said killed 112 people and injured 760.

An Israeli source acknowledged troops had opened fire on the crowd, believing it 鈥減osed a threat.鈥�

 

 

The Israeli military said a 鈥渟tampede鈥� occurred when thousands of desperate Gazans surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, including some who were run over by the lorries.

鈥淭his outrageous massacre is a testimony to the fact that as long as the Security Council is paralyzed and vetoes (are) casted, then it is costing the Palestinian people their lives,鈥� Mansour said.

As one of five permanent members of the 15-member council, the United States 鈥� Israel鈥檚 biggest ally 鈥� has a veto that it has wielded three times so far to bar the body from calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

At Thursday鈥檚 meeting, Algeria put forth a draft declaration expressing 鈥渄eep concern,鈥� which stated that the situation was 鈥渄ue to opening fire by Israel forces.鈥�

Of the Council鈥檚 15 members, 鈥�14 members supported the text,鈥� Mansour said after the meeting.

According to a diplomatic source, the United States opposed Israel being named, but discussions were ongoing.

鈥淭he parties are working on some language to see if we can get to a statement,鈥� US deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said.

鈥淭he problem is that we don鈥檛 have all the facts here,鈥� he said, adding that he wanted the wording to reflect 鈥渢he necessary due diligence with regards to culpability.鈥�

Mansour said he met earlier in the day with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

鈥淚 implored her that the Security Council has to produce a product of condemning this killing and to go after those responsible for this massacre,鈥� he said.

If the Security Council has 鈥渁 spine and determination to put an end to these massacres from happening all over again, what we need is a ceasefire,鈥� Mansour said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation 鈥渨ould require an effective independent investigation,鈥� into how the deaths occurred and who was responsible, after condemning the episode earlier in the day through his spokesman.

Thursday鈥檚 incident added to a Palestinian death toll which the Gaza health ministry said had topped 30,000, mainly women and children.

The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show.

Militants also took about 250 hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 Israel says are presumed dead.