HAMILTON, Canada

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is currently chaired by Türkiye, called Wednesday on the UN Security Council to immediately act to end the suffering in the Gaza Strip.

"It is regrettable that the glimmers of hope which follow the recent negotiations and proximity talks on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza have not produced immediate results, thereby leaving the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, to face the continuing horrors of this illegal occupation," Türkiye's UN envoy Ahmet Yildiz said at the Open Debate of the Security Council on the Situation in the Middle East.

He warned that "more innocent lives are lost" every day as people in Gaza endure "unbearable and life-threatening conditions."

On behalf of the OIC, Yildiz condemned what he described as "genocide, forced displacement, starvation and destruction perpetrated by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip," stressing that the group regards these actions as "war crimes and crimes against humanity."

"This calculated strategy aimed at forcibly displacing the indigenous Palestinian civilian population of Gaza represents an unprovoked violation of fundamental human rights and all norms of international law and international humanitarian law," he said.

Yildiz further called on the Council to "assume its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security at this very crucial period in the history of the protracted Middle East crisis."

On the situation in Syria, he conveyed the OIC's strong condemnation over "the continued Israeli aggression against the sovereignty and territory of the Syrian Arab Republic" and reiterated support for Syria’s "legitimate right to self-defense."

In his national capacity, Yildiz said Türkiye, as co-chair of the roundtable on the two-state solution, "urges all member states to seize the opportunity to reinvigorate collective efforts toward a just, comprehensive and lasting peace," including full UN membership for Palestine.

"We call on this Council to act with unity, determination and moral clarity to end suffering in Gaza," he noted, calling the current moment "a historic opportunity" to implement the two-state solution and uphold international law.