UN reiterates call for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

A senior UN official called for a humanitarian ceasefire on Friday as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict entered its 14th day.

Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, addressed the UN Security Council during a meeting on “peace through dialogue.”

“The dangerous and escalating situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is a bitter reminder of the urgent need for an end to the horrific violence and immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and the pathway to negotiations towards just lasting and comprehensive political solution,” he said.

He highlighted that the absence of a two-state solution could plunge the entire region into conflict for years and generations to come.

Sergio Danese, Brazil’s UN ambassador, expressed concern over the “very long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians” and criticized the Security Council’s effectiveness, stating that it continues to lose credibility and legitimacy.

“But the collective security system built upon the UN Charter remains our best option,” he added.

Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted during the same session that as the world marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights are facing pushback in all regions.

“Painfully, we see a significant global retrenchment of human rights, an erosion of the rule of law including context of armed conflict,” she said. “We urgently need to come back to the core principles”.

Israel has bombed Gaza since the Oct. 7 surprise offensive by Hamas, and has put the entire enclave under a blockade, leaving 2.3 million residents with little food, water, fuel and medical supplies.