LONDON
Irish President Michael D. Higgins has called on the UN to take urgent action in Gaza, asking Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to invoke powers under Chapter Seven to bypass Security Council gridlock and deliver humanitarian aid.
In a video shared by RTE News, he described the crisis as the “incredible, incredible destruction of an entire people.”
"Are we to watch children starving, women dehydrated, or trying to feed their children? So something must happen," he said.
President Higgins expressed support for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to invoke powers under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter—a mechanism that allows for enforcement action, including the use of force, without Security Council approval if deemed necessary.
"I am personally in favor of the secretary-general of the UN using Chapter Seven procedure, by which, whether or not the Security Council agrees, and even if there's a blockage, the right exists for the secretary-general to seek to put together an international defense of a corridor," he said.
Referring to blocked humanitarian aid, Higgins added: "There are 6,000 trucks with enough food for three months, and it has been blocked, and it is outrageous."
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.