On Thursday evening, the UN Security Council in New York ended a closed consultation session regarding the Al-Rashid Street massacre committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, after a request from the State of Algeria, without issuing any press statement or elements of a statement on the subject.

According to a diplomatic source familiar with the circumstances of the closed session, the states objected to naming the Israeli security forces by name in relation to their responsibility for shooting at Palestinians who had gathered to obtain aid, at a time when it appears that there are consultations at the capital level to see whether a formula can be reached regarding a press or presidential statement issued by the Council.

After leaving the meeting, Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said, in response to press questions about his country’s position on the statement and the American objections, that “the problem for us is that we do not have all the facts that we want to obtain that might (help) in finding a language.” (shared among all member states of the Council) and in a way that ensures that we have clearly verified the facts,” adding, “We may not even be able to do that immediately, but perhaps we can find a language that everyone can agree on.”

For his part, the French Ambassador to the United Nations, Nicolas de Rivière, stressed before entering the closed meeting, the need to clarify the circumstances of what happened, adding: “We always condemn any attacks against civilians, and France has called, since the beginning of the crisis, and has continued, on all parties to comply with international law, especially International humanitarian law (...) The Geneva Conventions are very clear that civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers must not be targeted and must be protected.”

The French ambassador added: “The humanitarian situation of the civilian population in Gaza is deteriorating day by day. We are now facing an unprecedented catastrophe. This is not the first time I have mentioned the need for the Security Council to bear its responsibility.”

France remains committed to working with all members of the Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, as well as the release of all hostages,” stressing that there is “an urgent need for a ceasefire agreement that guarantees the protection of all civilians and the entry of widespread emergency aid.”

For his part, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, made media statements before the session, in which he pointed out that the Israeli occupation army opened fire on people who gathered to obtain aid in northern Gaza and the area under its full control.

Mansour confirmed that dozens of injuries were caused by the shooting, describing what happened as “premeditated murder,” adding, “This heinous massacre, as you know, is testimony to the fact that as long as the Security Council remains paralyzed and uses its veto power, this will cost the Palestinian people their lives.” .

The Palestinian ambassador stressed the need for the Security Council to condemn “the massacre and hold its perpetrators accountable, and the necessity of a ceasefire so that such an incident is not repeated,” expressing his hope that “the Security Council will rise to the level of responsibility and come out with some product (a statement) that expresses its anger and condemnation of this massacre.” 

Algeria had distributed a draft press statement to member states, stating that the Council expressed “deep concern over reports indicating that more than 100 people were killed and more than 750 others injured as a result of Israeli forces opening fire on a gathering of people who were waiting to receive humanitarian aid in Gaza City.” .

The draft also stipulated that the Council express its condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded, and stressed the need to take the necessary measures to protect civilians and civilian facilities, stressing the need for all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law.

The draft also stipulated that the member states of the Security Council would express their concern about estimates by specialized organizations that “all of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents will face alarming levels of acute food insecurity.”

The draft statement reiterated the Council's call on all "parties to the conflict to allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe, sustainable and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to all civilians throughout the Gaza Strip."

The draft also urged "Israel to keep border crossings open for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and to facilitate the opening of additional crossings, to meet widespread humanitarian needs, and to support the rapid and safe delivery of relief materials to people throughout the Gaza Strip."