Palestine’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations on Friday urged the international community to “dare and do what is necessary” to halt the genocide in Gaza, calling for immediate action to protect civilians.
“We must dare to act and do what it takes to end the genocide and lift the siege. Only then can we hope to save the survivors. Save Gaza, so we may all be saved by Gaza. Save Gaza, save the children of Gaza, so we may all be saved by Gaza,” Majed Bamya said during a U.N. Security Council session focused on civilian safety, humanitarian aid, journalists and accountability.
“For 20 months now, daily atrocities have occurred under our watch and before our very eyes,” he said. “No protection for Palestinian civilians, all protection for Israeli perpetrators.”
“Israel banned international media to prevent the images from reaching you, but Palestinian journalists and ordinary citizens recorded the crimes. They sometimes were killed for what they documented, and sometimes documented their very own death,” he added.
Despite global solidarity with Gaza, Bamya said Palestinians have been left to suffer alone. “All this solidarity from across the globe, and yet Gaza stands alone. We can’t help a father begging for help as his child is burning before his eyes, as he sees his skin melting, and can only watch him as he shouts in pain.”
He called on member states to uphold international law and end the ongoing violence.
“Once the world has recognized the genocide, it cannot continue watching it unfold,” he said.
At least 53,822 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023, the Health Ministry said Friday.
The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 3,673 people and injured more than 10,300 others, shattering a cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
