ISTANBUL

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour appealed on Wednesday for the formation of a "coalition of the willing" to take action to halt Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

“We call for a coalition of the willing to take every action necessary now to end the genocide, to uphold international law and save what is left of our humanity under the rubble in Gaza, and end the occupation and conflict,” Mansour said at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

He said the massive destruction in Gaza was the result of a “deliberate planning and execution” by Israel.

“All of what is happening now was predictable, premeditated, and planned,” he said. “It is a criminal and cruel enterprise occurring openly for all to see.”

“We warn against all those who try to portray this conflict as a religious conflict, including those who do so to shield Israel from criticism and condemnation,” the diplomat said.

“This is not a conflict between Jews and Muslims. It is a war against Palestinian presence in the land of Palestine.”

The Palestinian envoy warned that the consequences of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza would be far-reaching.

“Israel's genocide in Gaza will redefine the region and our world for generations to come. And what we do next will determine in what way.”

He also condemned the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Israel-besieged enclave.

“No one wants to see people in Gaza starving, and yet the world watches on as they die of hunger and thirst,” Mansour said, calling for immediate international action to end the Israeli blockade and allow access to humanitarian aid.

Since March 2, Israel has stalled on implementing a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas and has kept Gaza’s border crossings shut, leaving humanitarian aid trucks stranded along the frontier.

On Wednesday, the Gaza Health Ministry said that ten more Palestinians died of starvation and malnutrition in the strip in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll since October 2023 to 111.

Israel has killed more than 59,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.