The UN Convenes a Special Live Meeting
This Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly (UN) responded to a joint request from Jordan, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Russia, and Syria to hold an emergency session in New York. The reason behind this urgent meeting is the alarming escalation of violence and hostilities affecting the Middle East, as announced in an official statement by the international organization.
The UN has issued a warning about a genuine humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip due to the massive bombings carried out by Israel, resulting in a high number of civilian casualties and the forced displacement of over 1.4 million people. Amid this chaos, United Nations shelters are overcrowded, and despite efforts to send humanitarian aid convoys in recent days, a ceasefire allowing access to food and essential assistance to the population of Gaza has yet to be established.
Call to End the Violence
The President of the General Assembly, in inaugurating the session, expressed concern about the situation, stating that they are dealing with the most serious escalation of violence and hostilities in the Middle East in decades. He emphasized the urgent need for violence to cease immediately.
Meeting Convened at the Request of Member States
It is worth noting that this emergency meeting, which will continue the next day, has been convened once again at the request of several Member States and in response to letters signed by Jordan, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Russia, and Syria.
Prolongation of the Israel-Hamas Conflict
The ongoing conflict between Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas has now stretched for more than three weeks, with a tragic toll of thousands of deaths and injuries on both sides. Furthermore, over 200 hostages remain detained in the Gaza Strip by Hamas militants, who kidnapped them during their attack on Israel on October 7th, although some of them have been released.
Since the outset of the crisis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had announced a large-scale “ground operation” in Gaza, which has not materialized to date. However, the Israeli military has conducted two brief incursions into Gaza territory this week, using armored vehicles, ground troops, aviation, and drones.
Risk of Conflict Escalation
Additionally, the risk of the conflict spreading across the region persists, as evidenced by Israeli airstrikes on Syrian positions and airports, as well as sporadic clashes between Hebrew forces and militants from the militarized Lebanese movement Hezbollah.
Tensions in the region have also escalated due to attacks by militias considered pro-Iranian against several U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq. In response, Washington carried out airstrikes on two facilities in eastern Syria, alleging that they were used by Tehran.
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