At noon on March 4 (New York time, early morning on March 5 Vietnam time), the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) met to discuss the conflict situation in the Gaza Strip.
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| Overview of the UN General Assembly meeting on the Gaza Strip. (Source: UN News) |
Before the entire General Assembly, the body's President Dennis Francis condemned the "catastrophic and inhumane" situation in the Gaza Strip, once again calling on the international community to act immediately to end the crisis.
"What is happening in Gaza is shameful. I am shocked and stunned by the reports of casualties in the attack on people waiting for aid last week in western Gaza City," Mr. Francis said, according to Xinhua .
Expressing deep concern over Israel's planned ground offensive on Rafah, home to 1.5 million people, Dennis Francis urged maximum restraint in military action to protect the lives of innocent civilians.
At the meeting, Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said that the suffering of the people in Gaza today is indescribable.
According to the official, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict broke out, 5% of the territory's population is dead or missing, medical supplies and basic necessities are in serious shortage and famine is imminent.
Mr. Lazzarini urged UN member states to commit to a political process for peace between Palestine and Israel.
Ambassador of Malta Vanessa Frazier - representing the E-10 Group of non-permanent members of the Security Council (UNSC) - expressed regret that the draft resolution on Gaza was vetoed by the US at the UNSC on February 20, noting that this was a "very carefully" drafted document that comprehensively addressed the situation in the region.
According to her, the issue of protecting civilians and all parties must comply with their obligations under international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law, and UNRWA has a central role in effectively responding to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a two-state solution to the crisis.
On the same day, Africanews reported that at the 161st session of the Arab League (AL) in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the AL called for sending emergency aid to people in Gaza.
"This is an urgent matter and there is no time to wait. The international community has an obligation to address the famine that has begun to seriously affect the lives of Gazans, especially the elderly and children," said Hussein Sidi Abdellah Deh, Permanent Representative of Mauritania to the AL and Chair of the session.
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