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Israel convened a United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday to demand the release of its hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza. This action followed the release of a video by the Gaza-based group, which featured a 24-year-old man appearing severely emaciated.
The Israeli hostages garnered widespread sympathy. However, the plight of the over two million Palestinians enduring starvation in the Gaza Strip received even more support.
Most members of the Security Council blamed Israel for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pointing to the government’s and military’s two-month blockade of the Strip, which prevented sufficient food and medicine from entering the war-torn territory.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, at least 188 Palestinians, including 94 children, have died from malnutrition-related causes thus far.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who traveled to New York to attend the session, accused Russia, other council members, and the international media of perpetuating “so many lies” and spreading anti-Israel misinformation.
He stated that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad members are not feeding the hostages while they “enjoy meat, fish, and vegetables.” Saar asserted that his country allows “huge amounts of aid” to enter the besieged territory, accusing Hamas of looting.
The top Israeli diplomat claimed that the group steals food, medical supplies, and other basic necessities, using them as a “financial tool” to sell and make money. UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has previously refuted those claims, stating that there is no evidence supporting this.
Saar also accused the Palestinians of “inventing terrorism” and Hamas of wanting to continue the war instead of reaching a ceasefire deal with Israel.
“The world has been turned upside down while Hamas runs its propaganda machine,” he said. “A world in which Israel is put on a bench of the accused while it fights for its survival. There is a name for it. It’s called antisemitism.”
Testimony from the hostages’ relatives
Itay David, the brother of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was captured in a Hamas-released video looking thin and weak in a Gaza tunnel, urged the Security Council to take action and protect their lives.
“Do not let them die. We don’t have time. Do not let them spend another minute in darkness.”
Describing his brother as “a living skeleton,” Itay urged the 15 council members in a video briefing to provide humanitarian aid to the hostages, saying they are being broken psychologically and physically by Hamas and denied “the most basic necessities of life.”
Israel Criticized for Human Suffering in Gaza
Many members, including the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone, praised Itay for advocating for his brother and condemned Hamas for taking hostages as a war crime. However, they also accused Israel of committing its own war crimes.
Sierra Leone’s UN Ambassador Michael Imran Kanu emphasized that while hostage-taking is an international crime that needs to be prosecuted, “one atrocity cannot justify another.”
“While we express deep concern for the hostages, we cannot ignore the wider humanitarian catastrophe that has engulfed Gaza,” he said. “The people of Gaza have been subjected to a blockade and siege that deprived them of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies,” which could also constitute a war crime.
The UK’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward reiterated London’s support for the immediate release of hostages. However, she also strongly criticized Israel for restricting aid and forcing the densely populated enclave to live under famine-like conditions.
“Since the ceasefire ended, the suffering of the hostages and Palestinian civilians has reached new and shocking levels,” she said. “Israel’s aid restrictions have led to famine now unfolding in Gaza,” as reported by international experts monitoring famine globally.
Woodward highlighted her conversation with doctors who had served in Gaza, who reported children so malnourished that their wounds did not heal for months and baby formula confiscated by the Israeli military.
“I call on Israel now to act to alleviate the horrendous suffering,” she said.
Approximately 250 hostages were taken following a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people. Most have been released in various hostage exchange deals, but 50 remain in Gaza, with about 20 believed to still be alive.
Hamas’ attack was followed by an all-out Israeli military offensive on the Strip, now in its 22nd month. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli attacks have killed over 61,000 Palestinians.
The UN reports that more than two-thirds of deaths that have been independently verified were women and children.
