The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been unsuccessful in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict, failing to halt the “acts of violence and hostilities directed at civilians” in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations Thilmeeza Hussain has said.
In her address at the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Hussain criticised the UNSC for its inability to safeguard medical and humanitarian personnel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as required by international humanitarian law. “These failures undermine the Council’s legitimacy,” she stated.
Hussain used this opportunity to stress the urgent need for UNSC reform to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness in maintaining global peace and security. She also reiterated the Maldives’ call for decisive action from the UNSC to stop violence against innocent civilians.
The Tenth Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly was convened to discuss illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Israel has killed over 8,805 Palestinians, including 3,457 children and 2,136 women, according to officials in Gaza. At least 21,048 people have also been injured, including at least 6,380 children and 4,891 women.
Hussain emphasised that the current violence in Gaza is not a recent conflict but a continuation of decades-long oppression of the Palestinian people that has shattered countless lives and suffocated the hopes of innocent people over several generations.
Highlighting the immense human suffering in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Hussain pointed out that half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, with a third under ten years old. “Accepting the loss of these young lives as mere ‘collateral damage’ is a severe breach of universally accepted ethical principles and international law, and it diminishes the moral integrity of any society that chooses to tolerate it,” she said.
The Maldives has consistently condemned Israel’s continued attacks on medical facilities, residential areas such as the Jabalia refugee camp, places of worship, and humanitarian workers. Hussain stated, “We urgently call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and for strict adherence to international mandates safeguarding civilian infrastructure and personnel.”
Hussain also urged the United Nations General Assembly to act courageously beyond politics for a world rooted in peace and justice. She called on the Security Council to take decisive action to end mass forced displacement in Gaza and halt violence against innocent civilians.
The Maldives is among the co-sponsors of a recently adopted resolution by the United Nations General Assembly calling for an immediate ceasefire and unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
