Lana Nusseibeh. File

Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has said that the civilians in Gaza are facing a ruinous war with nowhere safe to go.

She made this statement after UN Security Council (UNSC) rejected a Russian resolution that condemned violence and terrorism against civilians but made no mention of Hamas.

“The call for the evacuation of more than one million people who have nowhere safe to go and no assistance, for what it is: An unjustified demand unmeetable in its nature,” said Lana Nusseibeh.

“Long before the unjustifiable Hamas attack on Israel on Oct.7, 2023, Gaza was already one of the most desperate places on Earth to live. All Council members have rightly condemned the indiscriminate murder of innocent Israeli civilians and the taking of 199 of them hostage, including children,” she said

“We reiterate that condemnation here, but Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people or the people of Gaza who are suffering immensely today, and that is why Council unity is so desperately needed on this file,” she added.

She further said that In January of this year, the UN assessment of humanitarian needs in Gaza stated that 1.3 million people required aid for their basic survival. Half of those were children; almost 60% of the need ranged between severe and catastrophic. In the past decade alone, Gazans have lived through three rounds of major conflict. The children of Gaza have lost hope.

“That nightmare was Gaza’s lot 10 months before this outbreak, and today, civilians in Gaza are once again facing a ruinous war with nowhere safe to go.”

“Gaza, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, is besieged, with no access to fuel, electricity, food, water, or medical supplies. Two million people are now relying on a solitary pipeline for water, as none of the three desalination plants can operate without power,” she said.

“And, against this terrible backdrop, the international community must recognize that the call for the evacuation of more than one million people who have nowhere safe to go and no assistance, for what it is: An unjustified demand unmeetable in its nature,” said Lana Nusseibeh.

About the draft resolution put forward by the Russian delegation she said “it responds to these specific humanitarian needs. That is why the United Arab Emirates voted in favour of it, and that is why we are disappointed that it could not command the support of the Council today.”

She urged UN Security Council to do beyond making statements.

“At a minimum, this Council should be able to come together around the need to protect all civilians, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the safe provision of humanitarian assistance,” she said.

“We believe this Council should be able to find unity on two things: international humanitarian law must be upheld – indiscriminate attacks must be rejected and are unjustifiable – and the cycle of violence overall must end. The events of the last 9 days have made it painfully clear that without a determined political horizon, the spectre of bloodshed will continue to haunt both Israelis and Palestinians,” she said.

“Palestinians and Israelis deserve not only to live, which is the bare minimum, but to thrive, side by side, in their own independent, prosperous, and secure states, she said.

At the end of her statement she quoted Mahmoud Darwish, the late Palestinian poet, saying that he once wrote that “a life only defined by the absence of its antithesis – death – is no life at all.”