UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, has warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic with the onset of winter.
Wennesland told the UN Security Council in a briefing that the Middle East is at a “grim crossroads” after a year of war and bloodshed.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has now spread across the region, engulfing Lebanon and triggering escalatory exchanges between Israel and Iran.
He noted that armed groups from Yemen, Iraq and Syria are also continuing to launch projectiles towards Israel, while the Israeli military continues to attack Yemen and Syria.
“We are living a nightmare. The trauma and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable… These events will reverberate for generations and shape the region in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend.”
Tor Wennesland
He spoke about the catastrophic situation in Gaza, especially in the north with the massive displacement of almost the entire population and widespread destruction in violation of international humanitarian law.
He added that the Israeli war and destructive campaigns have caused mass killings and huge casualties to the Palestinians.
“The current conditions are among the worst we’ve seen during the entire war and are not set to improve.”
Tor Wennesland
Additionally, he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as a sustained and coordinated diplomatic effort to reduce tensions in the region, including a ceasefire in Lebanon with the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
With regards to Israel’s recent law against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Wennesland warned that the institutional framework supporting the Palestinian people and the Palestinian state is on the verge of dissolution, and this will plunge the occupied territories into greater chaos.
The UN envoy further criticized Israel’s continued expansion of settlements, accusing the government of accelerating settlement activity and warning against calls by some ministers for the annexation of the West Bank and the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza.
“These dynamics exact a political toll, further undermining the Palestinian Authority, which continues to face an ongoing fiscal and institutional crisis.”
Tor Wennesland
G20 Leaders Call For Comprehensive Ceasefires In Gaza And Lebanon
Separately, leaders of the Group of 20 major economies called for “comprehensive” ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, while also stressing the need for cooperation on climate change, poverty reduction, and taxing the ultrarich.
The economic forum met in Rio de Janeiro as leaders sought to shore up multilateral consensus on issues of concern amid heightened global tensions and United States President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.
The G20 leaders also called for a “comprehensive” ceasefire in Gaza, in line with a US-proposed United Nations resolution urging a permanent halt to fighting in return for the release of all captives held by Hamas.
It also expressed concern over the “escalation in Lebanon” and called for a ceasefire enabling “citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line,” a demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
They expressed “deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip” as well as the escalation in Lebanon, and emphasised the urgent need to expand the flow of aid into the Palestinian enclave.
They also highlighted “the human suffering and negative impacts of the war” and called for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
According to their final statement, they stressed their steadfast commitment to international law and relevant UN resolutions.
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