ISTANBUL 

The Maldives on Saturday called the complicity of countries in Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip the "shame of this century.”

"The sheer hypocrisy is this genocide is sustained by weapons and money from the very countries that claim to defend human rights. The same countries that helped define the very norms and laws being broken ... they refused to see Palestinians as equal human beings deserving of life, dignity and freedom," Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel said at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York.

He urged reform of the UN, particularly the Security Council.

Israeli passport holders were banned from entering the Maldives in April.

Brunei Darussalam’s Foreign Minister Erywan Pehin Yusof said the Security Council, which he called "the guardian of peace, has too often been paralyzed, restricted by veto, divided by interests, and mute in the face of grave injustice. Nowhere is this failure more glaring, more tragic, than in Palestine."

The US earlier this month vetoed a UN resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's "relentless pursuit of expansionism through annexation, illegal settlements and the systematic erasure of Palestine echoes the ideologies of the past, such as the 'Greater Germanic Reich,' which once sought domination at the expense of justice and humanity. Both of these ideologies contradict international law and the collective vow of ‘Never Again,’" he said.

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan urged "an immediate ceasefire, an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for immediate access to humanitarian aid, food and medical care for the civilians in Gaza."

"Singapore cannot recognize any unilateral annexation of occupied territory, because this would be a flagrant breach of international law," said Balakrishnan, stressing that a permanent member of the Security Council "has to comply with the UN Charter."

Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone expressed support for a two-state solution. He urged the international community to intensify efforts "to support recovery and reconstruction work for Palestine, for the Palestinian people to return to normalcy."

The Israeli army has killed nearly 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.