Palestinian PM condemns Israel's war in Gaza at UN meeting

UNITED NATIONS - The prime minister of the State of Palestine on Monday condemned Israel's "genocidal war" in Gaza at a meeting of the United Nations (UN), pleading for urgent action by the international community to stop the aggression.

"As I speak before you, our people in Gaza are enduring one of the darkest chapters in modern history," Mohammad Mustafa, also Palestine's minister of foreign affairs, said when addressing the UN Summit of the Future.

"For nearly a year now, Israel's genocidal war has caused unprecedented loss and suffering and humanitarian catastrophe," Mustafa said, referring to Israel's war effort in the Gaza Strip in the wake of the attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023.

"All of this, perpetrated in breach of the Charter and international law, threatens the future of the Palestinian people," Mustafa said, adding that "the international community must act urgently to stop this Israeli aggression on our people and bring an end to its illegal occupation, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions."

Mustafa went on to praise the people of war-torn Palestine for their "remarkable resilience" shown in the face of ongoing atrocities, which the Health Ministry in Gaza said resulted in the loss of at least 41,455 lives as of Monday.

"As proven in the past, Palestine can achieve economic growth and sustainable development," Mustafa said, calling on UN member states to "remain faithful to the principles" of the Summit of the Future "by restoring hope to future generations, including the Palestinian people who must not be left behind".