Every Human Life ‘Equal’, Security Council Told as Speakers Weigh Killing of Israeli Hostages, Mounting Palestinian Death Toll in Gaza, West Bank
Against the backdrop of the recent killing of six Israeli hostages, a mounting Palestinian death toll in Gaza and increasing settler violence in the occupied West Bank, speakers in the Security Council today urged Israel and Hamas to reach a deal that includes a ceasefire and unconditional release of those still held captive.
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said that, according to Israel, the hostages had been shot multiple times at close range. “They were killed by Hamas shortly before Israeli soldiers were able to reach them inside a tunnel in Rafah,” she said. At least 101 hostages are still held in Gaza, she noted, calling for their unconditional release and an immediate ceasefire.
Israeli military operations continue across Gaza, she said, adding that some 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, a majority of whom were reportedly women and children. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, some 630 Palestinians and 15 Israelis have been killed, she added, citing the “increasingly brazen and deadly” attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Israel also launched on 28 August large-scale military operations against alleged terrorist cells in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas governorates, she noted.
“The latest developments in Gaza and the West Bank compel us to affirm, yet again, the equal value of every human life,” stated Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. There are no winners in this war, and the suffering and devastation “show that there has been almost no limit to the inhumanity unfolding before our eyes”, she said. This is apparent in the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, in the recent killing of six hostages, in the hostages that remain in Gaza and the toll of injuries and deaths among Palestinians in the Strip.
She said that water infrastructure has been severely damaged, food sources and production facilities have been destroyed, vital humanitarian operations have been crippled and repeated evacuation orders leave civilians exposed to the dangers of hostilities and deprived of the essentials to survive. “It does not have to be this way,” she underscored, noting that local humanitarian pauses have enabled the launch of the emergency polio vaccination campaign — over 187,000 children under 10 have been vaccinated so far.
The Council also heard from two civil society briefers, including Efrat Bron-Harlev, an Israeli paediatric physician and Director of Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel — one of the leading paediatric centres in the world, who said that no child should ever go through what the children and civilians of Israel have gone through on 7 October. On that day, “many children, of all ages — babies, toddlers, children — were butchered in their houses,” she recalled. Of the 253 hostages, 38 were children, she said, adding that the youngest, still now in Gaza, was then only 8 months old. Many of these young children were kept in captivity, not allowed to cry or laugh, and were moved from place to place in the middle of the night.
In all, she said, Schneider Children’s Hospital received 19 children, 6 mothers and one grandmother that were all in captivity. “When they arrived [in the hospital], they did not look like children; they looked like shadows of children,” she added. The Council needs to help Israel bring back the children that have not yet returned, she said, adding: “I need you to help all of us make sure that never again such intentional atrocities will happen to children.”
Yuli Novak, Israeli human rights activist and Executive Director of B’Tselem, criticized his country’s Government for prioritizing war over the return of hostages, leaving people feeling “angry, desperate and betrayed”. That Government’s “criminal conduct” over the last eleven months has been guided by the idea of promoting “Jewish supremacy over the entire territory under its control” — a constitutional principle enshrined six years ago, she stated. Accusing the Government of “cynically exploiting” the collective trauma of 7 October to further its “project of cementing Israeli control,” she added: “To do that, it is waging war on the entire Palestinian people, including committing war crimes almost daily.” She went on to warn that by “making Gaza uninhabitable,” the Israeli “regime” is “laying the groundwork for long-term control of Gaza”.
Highlighting how Israel has enjoyed impunity for decades, she urged the Council “to acknowledge this failure” to protect civilians and “to compel Israel and Hamas to immediately and permanently cease all hostilities”. Every day when the Council fails to act on the International Court of Justice’s call to end the occupation and apartheid, “is another day you are abandoning us — the people suffering and dying needlessly under this cruel and unjust regime”, she said.
However, the representative of Israel stressed that his country’s top priority is the return of the hostages. It is Hamas that stands in the way of this, he said, adding that his country agreed to the ceasefire deals put forward on 27 May and 16 August. Yet the international community continues to direct pressure at his country “as if we are the ones who are holding hostages,” he said. Although hostage-taking is a violation of international humanitarian law and Council resolutions, this is the first time a Council session has been dedicated to the situation of hostages.
“The double standard is unbearable,” he said, adding that the Council must adopt a “a simple resolution” that condemns Hamas’ atrocities and designates them a terrorist organization. “I cannot understand why all of you cannot raise your hand” to support such a text, he said.
The six hostages, the representative of the United States said, were executed while negotiators were discussing the names of individuals to be released in a ceasefire deal. This calls into question the sincerity of Hamas, she said, underscoring: “Hamas is a terrorist organization.” While some Council members will not acknowledge that, she said: “We can condemn Hamas for what they are and still have empathy for the suffering of civilians in Gaza.” The ceasefire deal being negotiated by her country, Qatar and Egypt is a deal that ensures Israel’s security, she said. France was outraged, its delegate said, to learn of the killing of six hostages. Expressing solidarity with the Israeli people and condemning the terrorist attack of October 7, he said an immediate and permanent ceasefire is vital to ensure the return of hostages and allow the at-scale delivery of aid. Further, the localized humanitarian pauses must continue, he said, adding that the vaccination campaign demonstrates that it is possible to allow humanitarian actors to act on the ground. This must become the norm, he stressed.
The representative of the United Kingdom said that her Government’s decision this week to suspend certain armed export license to Israel does not undermine its commitment to Israel. Noting that Israel faces threats not only from Hamas, but also from Iran, she expressed unwavering commitment to its security.
However, the observer for the State of Palestine underscored that “Israel is seeking to impose a military solution to the conflict by disappearing a nation.” Instead of ending the Nakba, Israel’s “fascist, extremist” leaders have decided to seek its conclusion — “Palestine with no Palestinians”, he added. On the situation in the West Bank, he said that Israel has killed over 30 Palestinians there in recent days, along with destroying refugee camps and civilian infrastructure with countless air strikes. In parallel, it advances its settler colonial agenda. “Violence by settlers and soldiers is spreading like wildfire to push people out of their homeland,” he said.
Noting an imminent General Assembly vote on a resolution demanding the end of this illegal occupation within a time frame, he urged Member States to remember all those either killed or left to endure torment when they make their decision: “You are either on the side of the arsonists or the firefighters — you cannot be on both.”
Those present are gathered today because “diplomacy has failed”, said the representative of Algeria, wondering aloud how many lives could have been saved if the Council had been more resolute in implementing its resolutions — including resolution 2735 (2024). And, as the world struggles to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, “the Israeli occupier escalates its operations in the West Bank, continuing to slaughter Palestinians in blatant violation of international law”, he said. The Council must act — today — to ensure that “international law is above all” and protect the multilateral system by “reining in the occupation authorities that seek to extinguish the hope of a Palestinian State”, he urged.
The situation in Palestine today did not begin on 7 October 2023, said Guyana’s representative. Rather, it began when Israel first violently rejected the two-State solution in 1948. “What we have seen since 7 October are the symptoms of this rejection,” she said, “with the victimizer capitalizing on the events of 7 October to carry out its own sinister motives — even amidst protests by its own citizens”. Recalling Plato’s assertion that “only the dead have seen the end of war”, she emphasized that the Council can ensure that remaining generations of Palestinians and Israelis also see this — “and, more than that, experience sustainable peace”.
China’s delegate also called for greater diplomatic efforts to secure the release of all detainees, whether Israeli or Palestinian, and said it is wishful thinking to prolong the war in the hope of a total victory. The Israeli leadership should listen to its “public’s forceful appeals” and do its utmost to make the ceasefire happen. The countries who hold sway over the warring parties must act in good faith to bring the violence to an end. “Every life matters,” he stressed, adding that Gazan children have the same right to grow up in safety and good health as do children anywhere in the world. They do not deserve to face lethal weapons after vaccination, he said.
The representative of the Russian Federation said that the Council cannot afford to remain inactive in the face of developments in Gaza and the West Bank — which Israeli military personnel are “systematically cleansing”. The organ has already given three months for negotiations to persuade both sides to accept the deal envisioned by resolution 2735 (2024). “This was more than enough time,” he stressed. But, as the United States consistently provides cover for Israel’s actions, he said that it is “hardly surprising” that West Jerusalem continues to advance new conditions for reaching a deal.
Several speakers expressed concern over the alarming escalatory trend in the West Bank, with the representative of Mozambique underscoring the utmost importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure under the international law by the warring parties. “An escalation on that front must be prevented at all costs. The West Bank cannot turn into another Gaza,” warned the representative of Malta. In this vein, Sierra Leone’s delegate cited the 19 July 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that “has made it clear in its determination” that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is “unlawful”. He, therefore, urged Israel “to comply and for the United Nations, including the General Assembly and Security Council, to work on the modalities as declared by the ICJ”.
Many speakers, including Japan’s representative, welcomed the first days of the polio vaccination campaign, underscoring “the brave efforts and dedication” of the relevant UN agencies. “A large-scale humanitarian operation is possible in Gaza if hostilities cease and safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access is guaranteed,” said the representative of Switzerland, adding: “It is high time that this became a reality throughout the Gaza Strip”. Echoing this point, the representative of the Republic of Korea underscored the importance of upholding humanitarian pauses by both sides to ensure the campaign’s success, warning: “Failure to prevent the spread of polio in Gaza will have fatal impacts in the wider region, including Israel”. Similarly, the delegate from Ecuador said that the campaign showed that “with genuine political will, results can be achieved”.
The representative of Slovenia, Council President for September, spoke in his national capacity to describe “parallel realities” — decades-long suffering and human-rights violations experienced by Palestinians, security concerns for Israelis and regional instability that threatens international peace and security. “There is only one possible common denominator for these realities,” he stressed — “peace”. Only a ceasefire will alleviate the suffering of hostages and their loved ones, as well that of Palestinians in Gaza. Therefore, he urged the Council to proceed with two steps: first, a strong, united call for the conclusion of ceasefire negotiations led by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, and second, a focused discussion on a peace process that will lead to a two-State solution.