Palestinian mission to UN appalled by global ‘inaction’ on Gaza war

GENEVA 

The Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the UN in Geneva on Thursday said that it is appalled by the “inaction of the international community” against the intensifying violence in Gaza since Oct. 7.

“We are appalled by the inaction of the international community in the face of belligerent warmongering,” Dima Asfour, the first secretary at the mission, told a press briefing in Geneva.

Asfour criticized some Western countries for the support they provide to Israel.

“In the West, in general, we see governments competing with each other on who will provide more political, military, and diplomatic support to Israel as it perpetuates its ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people as it has done since 1948,” she said.

“The international law is clear about the grave breaches being committed by Israel,” she said, adding that the credibility of these rules is dependent upon being implemented by state parties in all circumstances, but “not just when convenient or politically expedient.”

“These are serious times. They require serious and responsible leadership,” she urged. “No government officials should want to be seen as complicit in the mass killings of Palestinian civilians or their continuation.”

The Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have since been killed in the conflict, including at least 9,061 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

Besides the large number of casualties and displacement, basic supplies are running low for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.

• Palestine
• UN