UN demands end to all escalatory rhetoric, actions to avoid 'an even greater catastrophe' in Gaza

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs denounced a recent Israeli attack on al-Tabeen School in Gaza City, calling on the parties to end all escalatory rhetoric and actions to avoid "an even greater catastrophe."

"The devastating Israeli attack on al-Tabeen School in Gaza City, which prompted this meeting, points once again to the desperate need to reach a cease-fire, free the hostages and scale up humanitarian aid to Gaza," Rosemary DiCarlo told a Security Council session Tuesday on Palestine.

DiCarlo reiterated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' remarks condemning the "continued loss of life in Gaza following another attack on a school sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinian families."

Emphasizing that the situation across the Gaza Strip "remains catastrophic for civilians," she said “no place is safe in Gaza, yet civilians continue to be ordered to evacuate to ever shrinking areas."

Ten months into the conflict, DiCarlo warned of an escalating regional threat, urging all parties to de-escalate.

"If the slide towards an even greater catastrophe is to be halted, the parties must end all escalatory rhetoric and actions," she said, calling for the swift implementation of Security Council resolution 2735.

Saying that a "lasting peace in the Middle East will remain elusive" without addressing Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood," she said "the killing, destruction and suffering in Gaza must end. The hostages must be reunited with their families."

Lisa Doughten, head of the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs' Humanitarian Financing and Resource Mobilization Division, told the Council that the Israeli attack on the school sheltering displaced people in Gaza "was far from an isolated incident."

"Indeed, such attacks appear to be occurring with increasing frequency," Doughten said.

Noting that such "large-scale incidents are, sadly, only some of the myriad ways in which this horrendous conflict is causing unbearable suffering and devastation," she said at least "10,000 people remain unaccounted for and are thought to be buried under the rubble."

With more than 60% of residential buildings and 65% of the transportation system in Gaza damaged or destroyed, she drew attention to repeated evacuation orders by Israel and said "civilians are repeatedly asked to evacuate to areas where essentials for their survival are absent. They are repeatedly being killed and injured in the very places they have been told were safe to go."

Underscoring the "immense emotional and psychological trauma this war has had on children," Doughten told the Council that over half a million students in Gaza have lost an entire academic year.

She also noted the challenges to the humanitarian response, saying "aid entering Gaza has more than halved since the Rafah ground operation began and Rafah Crossing was abruptly closed in early May."

"The increase in bureaucratic and administrative impediments, such as delays in visa issuance and renewals for broader operational support and management, is severely impacting the response," she added.

Doughten asked the Council: "How much longer can this continue?"

"I urge this Council and all member states to use your influence to protect civilians and bring an end to this conflict and its intolerable toll," she added.