UAE calls for early Security Council meeting in Gaza

The Security Council has made four failed attempts in recent weeks to reach agreement on a Gaza resolution. Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP/NTB

By NTB | 10/28/2023 7:22:24 PM

Policy: The 15 member states could meet again on Sunday, according to sources from the Reuters news agency on Saturday evening.

The context is that the Internet and telephone lines to the Gaza Strip are down, even as Israel has intensified its air and ground operations.

The Emirates asked UN emergency aid chief Martin Griffiths and UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini to brief the Security Council at the announced meeting.

The Security Council has made four failed attempts in recent weeks to reach agreement on a Gaza resolution.

On Friday, Norway was among 120 of 193 UN member states that adopted a resolution at the UN General Assembly demanding an “immediate, lasting and sustained humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. General Assembly resolutions are not binding, unlike those of the Security Council.

The United States, Austria, Croatia and the Czech Republic were among 14 member states that voted against the resolution at the UN General Assembly. 45 countries abstained from voting, including Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.