By Serife Cetin
NEW YORK (AA) - The UN Security Council should take up the responsibility to end the war in the Gaza Strip, France’s envoy to the UN said Monday.
"This is not a natural disaster we are talking about. This is a war, and it should stop now. The Security Council cannot continue to procrastinate. We should take action right now," Nicolas de Riviere told reporters in New York.
De Riviere said there is an urgency to reach an immediate cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, secure the release of hostages and obtain full humanitarian access to the Strip.
"So this is what the Security Council should do now, not next week. I'm talking about the next 24, 48 hours. There is no reason to procrastinate further. No reason," he added.
The ambassador also said the Council has only been able to adopt two humanitarian resolutions, "which, by the way, are not implemented."
"This Council needs to do more, to do it now, and take up its responsibility. It cannot wait any longer," he added.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed nearly 1,200 people.
More than 31,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave and nearly 73,800 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Diyar Guldogan from Washington D.C.