United Nations experts are calling on all states to stop Israel's continued violations of a Washington-brokered ceasefire in Gaza after noting almost 400 truce breaches that left more than 300 Palestinians dead, including some 70 children, since last month. The Permanent Mission of China to the UN has again urged Israel to uphold lasting truce.
The experts included about 20 UN Special Rapporteurs and working groups, such as Francesca Albanese: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education and Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
A Nov 24 press release of theirs said Israel had reportedly committed at least 393 violations, killing 339 Palestinians, including more than 70 children and injuring 871 others since the ceasefire was announced in October. They noted that the Oct 28 airstrikes – with at least 104 Palestinians killed – marked the deadliest single night.
The experts also said that attacks continued to be reported across all five governorates of Gaza despite the “ceasefire”, with reports of gunfire, artillery shelling, and airstrikes.
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“The ongoing Israeli attacks against the Palestinian population in Gaza constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the experts said. They urged the international community to step up pressure to make the ceasefire effective and save lives.
Humanitarian access remains critically restricted with only two of six crossings being reopened. “The volume of aid trucks entering Gaza has never reached the agreed target of 600 per day and has frequently fallen below half that number,” according to the press release.
While the experts had welcomed the ceasefire, they expressed concerns that justice and accountability were left out form the current arrangement. They reiterated that there would be no lasting peace without accountability for the crimes committed since Oct 7, 2023.
“We warned that so-called peace initiatives allowing one side to retain militarized control over Gaza would not end occupation but entrench it. Sadly, this is unfolding before our eyes,” the experts said. They noted that over 58 percent of Gaza reportedly remains under Israeli military control, with 40 active Israeli sites still operating beyond the agreed withdrawal line, “in clear breach of the ceasefire terms”.
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At the regular monthly UN Security Council meeting on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” in New York on Nov 24, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said achieving a lasting ceasefire in Gaza is a top priority.
China welcomes the agreement on the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire. However, peace between Palestine and Israel is still far from being achieved, and the suffering of civilians continues, said Fu.
"A ceasefire means the complete cessation of all attacks, and should be observed by all parties in good faith. Any incident causing civilian casualties is unacceptable and repeated attacks must not become the new normal in Gaza," said Fu.
"China urges all relevant parties, Israel in particular, to fully honor the ceasefire agreement and work toward a truly comprehensive and lasting peace," he told the meeting.
"China urges Israel to fully comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, open all crossing points, lift restrictions on humanitarian access, and ensure that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and other humanitarian agencies can carry out their relief operations," Fu said.
Ramiz Alakbarov, UN deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said the damage in Gaza, physically, economically and socially, is “catastrophic”.
“There must be a restoration of dignity and hope. These efforts must be anchored in a clear political horizon for resolving the conflict, ending the unlawful occupation, and realizing the two-State solution,” said Alakbarov.
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“The task ahead is monumental and will require a well-coordinated, phased, international effort. We must help create the conditions in which people can begin to rebuild their lives with dignity. There is no time to lose,” he added.
Alakbarov also urged all parties “to exercise restraint and fulfill their commitments under the agreement.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X on Nov 24 that in recent weeks, its troops have been operating in the Rafah area in a concentrated effort “to dismantle remaining terror tunnels and eliminate the terrorists hiding within them, while simultaneously dismantling above-ground terrorist infrastructure”.
The IDF alleged that more than 60 terror targets were struck, including 15 tunnel shafts and 40 structures. IDF soldiers also reportedly found a Hamas flag, firearms, rifles, and explosive devices, among others. “Seventeen terrorists emerged from an underground tunnel route—11 of them were eliminated and 6 were taken for questioning,” said the IDF.
“It is very clear” that the Israeli regime “is not interested in ceasefire”, Muslim Imran, director at the Malaysia-based Asia Middle East Center for Research and Dialogue, or AMEC, told China Daily.
He also noted that since the ceasefire deal was reached, Israeli captives have been released but Israel’s violations and aggression on the Palestinians continue.
Imran also cited the situations in Syria and Lebanon, where Israel had signed ceasefire agreements, “but continues to violate” them.
Israel “is not seeking peace or prosperity for anyone in the region. They want to wreak havoc in order to dominate. Netanyahu believes in domination through chaos,” said Imran.
The analyst also accused the “fascist, extremist right-wing government of Israel” of conducting genocide and implementing an ethnic cleansing and apartheid in occupied Palestinian land.
Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com
