NEW YORK, Friday, December 8, 2023 (WAFA) – The United Nations Security Council held today an emergency session to discuss the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing brutal Israeli aggression against it. Ecuador, currently presiding over the council in December, has called for the session in response to the escalating Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
This marks the first time that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter since assuming office in 2017. Guterres, in an unprecedented letter to the Security Council on Wednesday, warned of an imminent and complete collapse of the public order in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli offensive that began on October 7.
In his letter, the Secretary-General invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which grants him the responsibility to “bring to the attention” of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.
Guterres addressed the UNSC at the beginning of the meeting, thanking ambassadors for their response to his invocation of Article 99 saying he had written because “we are at breaking point”.
Expressing deep concern over the relentless Israeli airstrikes and the absence of adequate shelters, Guterres emphasized the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire. The Secretary-General stated, "With the continuing Israeli bombing and the absence of shelters or a minimum level of survival, I anticipate an imminent complete collapse of public order due to desperate conditions, making humanitarian assistance impossible, even if limited."
Guterres highlighted the potential worsening of the situation, including the spread of diseases and increased pressure leading to mass exodus towards neighboring countries. He emphasized the inadequacy of humanitarian aid passing through the Rafah crossing, stating that the UN is simply unable to reach those in need within Gaza.
He maintained that the conditions for the effective delivery of humanitarian aid no longer exist.
Citing severe constraints on the UN's humanitarian efforts due to fuel shortages, communication breakdowns, and a lack of security, Guterres warned, "We face a significant risk of a collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is rapidly deteriorating towards a catastrophe with irreversible consequences for Palestinians and the peace and security of the region."
The Secretary-General called on the international community to utilize its influence to prevent further escalation and to address the crisis urgently. He urged Security Council members to exert pressure to avoid a humanitarian disaster, emphasizing their responsibility to prevent further deterioration and calling for a collective effort to avert a regional crisis.
Stressing that the people of Gaza “are looking into the abyss”, the UN chief called on the international community to do “everything possible” to end their ordeal.
“Attacks from air, land, and sea are intense, continuous, and widespread,” he said, adding that people in Gaza “are being told to move like human pinballs – ricocheting between ever-smaller slivers of the south, without any of the basics for survival.”
He said more than 130 of his colleagues had already been killed: "This is the largest single loss of life in the history of this Organization. Some of our staff take their children to work so they know they will live or die together."
There is also a serious risk of starvation and famine, Mr. Guterres reported, noting that half the people in northern Gaza and more than one-third of displaced people in the south are “simply starving”.
Despite this, the UN is committed to stay and deliver for the people of Gaza, said the UN chief.
He said the humanitarian situation, however, was "simply becoming untenable."
“I urge the Council to spare no effort to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for the protection of civilians, and for the urgent delivery of lifesaving aid,” he said
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