Middle East Special Coordinator Thor Wennesland at Security Council. UN Special Coordinator: Middle East at ‘most dangerous stage in decades’ Peace and Security
UN Special Coordinator Thor Wennesland told the Security Council that the Middle East is at “its most dangerous stage in decades”. Wennesland recently visited Gaza. According to him, the level of destruction in the Strip “defies the imagination”.
He recalled today’s attack on the town of Beit Lahia, which left at least 90 Palestinians, including 25 children, dead or missing. Wennesland stressed that since October 2023, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 42,000 Palestinians and 1,600 Israelis.
“We need a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza right now,” he said. Wennesland warned that without immediate action, humanitarian aid supplies would not be able to increase to the required levels.
Wennesland is concerned about unilateral steps that undermine the peace process, possibly for years to come. This includes Israel’s attempt to “dismantle” the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
“We urgently need a set of agreements to establish a political and security structure in Gaza in accordance with the principles I have repeatedly outlined in this Council,” the Security Coordinator said.
Wennesland said that establishing such structures would include the formation of a Palestinian government that could reunite Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, politically, economically and administratively, without reducing the Strip’s territory or displacing Palestinians from it.