On Tuesday, January 23, during a UN Security Council meeting in New York, discussions focused on the situation in the Middle East, the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli government's reluctance to address the necessity of establishing a Palestinian state.
In his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, noted that the conflict in the Gaza Strip originated with a Hamas attack, resulting in the death of 1,200 civilians and the abduction of 250 hostages. He strongly condemned premeditated murder, emphasizing the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."
Notably, Guterres did not explicitly mention Hamas in this context. The majority of his speech was dedicated to addressing the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Secretary-General emphasized that "no effective humanitarian relief operation can be carried out under the conditions imposed on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip" and cautioned against the notion that 2.2 million people can solely survive on aid.
Antonio Guterres urged Israel to guarantee swift, safe, and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance across the Gaza Strip. He also called for an end to violations of international humanitarian law and reiterated the need for a humanitarian ceasefire.
He highlighted the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as the primary destabilizing factor in the Middle East, attributing it to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Guterres asserted that the creation of a Palestinian state is the only resolution to the conflict, stating, "The two-state solution is the only way to meet the legitimate aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the UN Security Council to fulfill its mandate by endorsing a ceasefire. He proposed ministerial-level consultations to foster Palestinian unity and suggested that, after the conflict phase concludes, an international conference on the Middle East settlement should convene with the goal of proclaiming a Palestinian state.
In response, Israeli Permanent Representative Gilad Erdan reminded Lavrov of Russia's cooperation with Iran and expressed concern over Hamas' openly stated goal of destroying Israel.
Erdan cautioned about the Iranian threat and warned, "Iranian terrorism will overtake you all! If the Security Council focuses solely on aiding Gaza and neglects the Iranian threat, we all face a very bleak future."
