Since October 7, the Israeli genocide in Gaza has so far claimed the lives of at least 17,700 Palestinians, with more than 48,800 wounded.
The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries have formally accused Israel of being legally accountable for the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The condemnation, which specifically highlights the tragic loss of women and children’s lives, was delivered by Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the UN.
She delivered the statement on behalf of the GCC during a Security Council meeting dedicated to the “Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question”.
The GCC’s position firmly opposed the Israeli government’s measures, aimed at displacing Gaza residents and rejects Israel’s portrayal of these actions as self-defence.
The council urged the international community to take appropriate actions within the framework of international law against Israel’s policies of collective punishment inflicted upon Gaza’s inhabitants. It stressed the need for international protection for the Palestinian people.
The targeting of civilian facilities by Israeli forces, including hospitals, schools, and refugee camps, has drawn sharp criticism from the GCC.
The killing of journalists and attacks on international sites, such as the headquarters of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, were also highlighted as grave concerns.
Sheikha Alya emphasised that the Israeli blockade on Gaza directly contravenes international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution No 2417.
This resolution condemns actions that illegally hinder humanitarian aid and the use of starvation as a method of warfare.
The GCC’s praise was extended towards the successful mediation efforts led by Qatar, in cooperation with Egypt and the United States.
These efforts facilitated a humanitarian pause, allowing for prisoner exchanges and aid delivery. However, the cessation of this pause and the expansion of Israeli attacks into southern Gaza, endangering millions of displaced individuals, were called out.
The also GCC welcomed the UN Security Council’s adoption of Resolution No 2712.
This resolution demands the creation of urgent humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip and insists on its complete enforcement.
On Friday, the United States used its veto power to block a United Nations resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, triggering outrage over Washington’s backing of Israel’s atrocities on the ground.
On November 2, the US House of Representatives passed a Republican bill to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel.
The amount was in addition to the annual $3.8 billion military aid that includes fighter jets and destructive bombs. Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign military aid.
The US also provided Israel with 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells “shortly after” the surprise Hamas attack on October 7, according to a Wall Street Journal report on December 1.
Amnesty International confirmed in a report on Tuesday that US-made arms were being used by Israel after reviewing fragments of the munition found under the rubble of two civilian houses in Gaza.
The report found that the Israeli occupation forces used American-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions weighing between 1,000-to-2,000 pounds, during their attacks on civilians’ houses in the south of Wadi Gaza in October.
