Security Council Diplomats visit Rafah border crossing with Gaza

Delegates from several member states of the United Nations Security Council arrived in the city of El-Arish on Monday and are expected to head to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip. This visit comes days after the United States vetoed a resolution in the Council calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The unofficial visit, organized by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, takes place amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip, described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as a "graveyard for children."

Over ten ambassadors, including those from Russia and the United Kingdom, are participating in the visit. The UK had abstained from voting on the resolution calling for a ceasefire. The US representative, who wielded the veto last week against a resolution proposed by the UAE, is absent, as is the French representative, who did the same.

An official from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, addressing reporters upon their arrival, stated, "There is no justification for turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering experienced by the Palestinian people in Gaza."

The UAE's representative to the United Nations, Lana Nusseibeh, mentioned that some countries are participating in the visit "on a national and personal level," aiming to help them “understand not only the suffering and destruction experienced by the residents of Gaza but also their hope and strength.”

The diplomats are expected to attend briefings from UN agencies, Egyptian authorities, and health officials on the crisis in Gaza before heading to the Egyptian side of the crossing. They are also expected to visit a hospital treating Palestinian patients in the nearby city of El-Arish, near the border with the Strip.

The war in Gaza erupted following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, resulting in the death of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
In response, Israel pledged to "eliminate" Hamas and continued an intensive bombing campaign on Gaza, launching ground operations from October 27. According to the latest tally from Hamas's health ministry published on Saturday evening, around 18,000 people have been killed in the Strip, with about 70 percent of them being women and children.

According to the United Nations, 1.9 million people, or approximately 85 percent of the population, have been displaced from their homes in Gaza due to the war, which has destroyed or damaged over half of the homes.

Israel has imposed a "complete blockade" on the Gaza Strip since October 9, causing a severe shortage of water, food, medicine, and electricity. The fuel is also unavailable to operate generators in hospitals and water desalination stations.

AFP