In a meeting hosted by Pakistan at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Lebanon and several other nations have urged the international community to ramp up pressure on Israel to put an end to its ongoing military operations across the Middle East.
The meeting, which was convened to review the humanitarian impact of the conflict in Gaza one year on, saw representatives from various countries express grave concerns over Israel’s tactics and the catastrophic consequences they are having on civilian populations.
According to reports from Reuters, Lebanon’s envoy to the UN, Salim Baddoura, accused Israel of deploying the “same sinister playbook” in Lebanon as it had in Gaza, leading to further destruction and loss of life. He poignantly questioned, “As these atrocities continue, what is the real and ultimate goal of this?”
The Palestinian ambassador spoke of the “indescribable” suffering endured by the people of Gaza over the past year, where health authorities have reported over 42,000 deaths since Israel’s campaign began. Much of the densely populated region has been reduced to rubble.
In Lebanon, where Israel has intensified its operations against the Hezbollah group, the situation is equally dire. Over 1,000 people have died and more than one million have been forced to flee their homes in the past month alone, according to Lebanese officials.
While Israel maintains that its strikes in both Gaza and Lebanon are aimed at military targets and efforts are made to minimize civilian casualties, both Hezbollah and Hamas have denied accusations that they use civilians as human shields.
The ongoing military action against Hezbollah, a heavily armed group, is seen by Israel as necessary to protect its northern border, which has been subject to rocket attacks in support of Hamas. Thousands of Israeli citizens have been evacuated from the region as a result of these attacks.
During the meeting, representatives from other nations, including South Africa, Turkey, and Spain, echoed similar sentiments, calling for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian relief. South Africa’s envoy, Mxolisi Nkosi, described the situation in Gaza as an “apocalyptic humanitarian catastrophe,” while Turkey’s ambassador, Burak Akçapar, called for a full arms embargo on Israel, questioning the clarity of its military objectives….Sêe _ Morê