Israel is committing collective punishment, war crimes in Gaza: Algeria
Algeria's permanent representative to the UN said Thursday that the actions Israel has been carrying out against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 constitute "collective punishment" and "war crimes."
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Amar Bendjama’s remarks came during a meeting of the UN Security Council convened at Algeria's request to discuss developments in Palestine.
Bendjama said Algeria had called for the session because the country strongly believes that the Security Council must speak clearly and assertively, fully assume its responsibility and ensure the implementation of its decisions and resolutions.
He warned that failing to adopt this approach would lead to the council losing any remaining authority or legitimacy.
"Anyone following us will not respect either the council or its deliberations," he said.
Bendjama noted that "the Palestinian people in Gaza have been suffering and experiencing chaos for months."
He highlighted that since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinians have been subjected to "collective punishment" and "war crimes."
On the brutality of Israel's war crimes in Gaza, Bendjama said that Palestinians in Gaza are "a people facing unimaginable hardships, and Israel, the occupying power, is responsible for turning Gaza into the deadliest conflict zone for humanitarian aid workers, with over 400 of them killed."
"Israel has made this conflict the deadliest for journalists, with 209 journalists killed, the deadliest for medical workers, with 1,060 killed, and the deadliest for children, with over 17,000 children killed," he added.
He underlined that "this people and these innocent civilians deserve justice and an end to this ongoing killing."
Bendjama called on the Security Council to implement Resolution 2730 in full and without delay.
Resolution 2730, passed by the UN Security Council on May 24, 2024, obligates Israel to respect and protect United Nations and humanitarian personnel.
He pointed out that since the resumption of Israel's brutal aggression against Gaza on March 18, more than 103 Palestinians are being killed every day.
In the face of this daily killing, the international community is witnessing genocide before their eyes, "and the same is true here (in the Security Council), where we remain idle," he said.
He condemned Israel's criminal behavior in Gaza, especially regarding the blocking of humanitarian aid, which has left one million Palestinians at risk of starving to death.
He also reiterated his country's rejection of a forced displacement plan for Palestinians from their land.
"The Palestinian people will remain on their land, and no power will be able to uproot them from it," he said.