JAKARTA - United Nations Security Council envoys urged an end to the war due to unimaginable suffering when they visited the Gaza border, while the death toll of Palestinian civilians in the region reached 18 thousand.
A dozen UN Security Council envoys joined a trip organized by the United Arab Emirates to visit Rafah, just days after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned thousands of people in the besieged Palestinian enclave were facing "starvation".
After flying to the city of Al-Aris, Egypt, they were briefed by the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA on conditions in Gaza before heading to Rafah, 30 miles (48 km) away.
"The reality is even worse than what can be expressed in words," Ecuador's representative at the UN, Jose De La Gasca, told journalists after a UNRWA briefing, reported by Reuters, December 12.
Meanwhile, the UAE's permanent representative to the UN Lana Nusseibeh said the envoys were told Gazans were dying from malnutrition, a collapsing medical system, and a lack of water and food.
Paid a field trip to Rafah today with Security Council colleagues. A great initiative by @UAEMissionToUN. We saw the long queue of trucks waiting for passage to Gaza. We met with medical workers who were helping the Palestinians with courage and dedication. We heard the strong… pic.twitter.com/L5YHXddgot
— Zhang Jun (@ChinaAmbUN) December 12, 2023
It is known that the majority of UN member states support an immediate and permanent ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, as the bad conditions affecting its 2.3 million residents worsen.
Meanwhile, the United States, which supports Israel, last week vetoed a proposed Security Council request for an immediate ceasefire.
"Enough is enough," replied China's representative to the UN Zhang Jun, when asked by journalists about the message to countries opposing the ceasefire in Gaza.
It is known that representatives of the United States and France did not participate in the envoy's visit to the Gaza border.
Separately, the Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has jumped to 18,205, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Monday, citing Anadolu.
Speaking at a press conference, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra also said another 49,645 people had been injured as a result of the conflict.
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Al-Qudra continued, 22 hospitals and 46 primary care centers were forced to stop operating due to Israeli bombing.
"At least 296 medics have also been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7," al-Qudra said.
Most of the Palestinian enclave's 2.3 million residents have been driven from their homes. Meanwhile, Israel's death toll in Hamas attacks reached 1,200 people, according to official figures.
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