The emergency meeting held by the UN Security Council today, Friday, to discuss the threat of famine in the Gaza Strip witnessed numerous demands for Israel not to obstruct the arrival of aid to the Strip, and to stop targeting humanitarian organizations, after the World Central Kitchen team was killed in an Israeli raid.

Algeria's representative to the Security Council, Ammar Ben Jama, said, "The crime against the World Central Kitchen in Gaza is not surprising because the attack was carried out deliberately," as he saw that humanitarian workers in Gaza were being killed within the framework of Israeli doctrine, as he put it.

He also pointed out that Israel has killed 484 health workers in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war last October.

Bin Jama stressed that hunger "is rampant in Gaza, and the occupation does not care despite the adoption of a decision by the International Court of Justice."

The judges of the International Court of Justice ordered Israel - in a unanimous decision issued on March 28 - to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure the entry of basic food supplies to the residents of the Gaza Strip without delay.

On the other hand, Chinese representative Zhang Jun said during the Security Council session that Israel must stop targeting humanitarian organizations and their workers in Gaza.

Zhang also stressed the need to open all land crossings to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip.

For his part, Russia's representative Vasily Nebenzia criticized Israel because it "continues to launch its worst military operation despite the Security Council's decision to stop the war," referring to Resolution No. 2728 issued last March 25 and calling for an immediate ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan. .

Nebenzia called on Israel to stop targeting humanitarian organizations and their workers in Gaza.

In turn, British delegate Barbara Woodward said that Israel must "make major and immediate changes to the military campaign in order to protect civilians."

She also stressed the need to provide "adequate protection" for those carrying out humanitarian work.

Palestinian regret

On the other hand, Palestine's representative to the Security Council, Riyad Mansour, expressed his regret that "the killing of foreigners was necessary to recognize the status of the Palestinians in Gaza for 180 days."

Mansour said that Israel destroyed homes in Gaza, killed entire families, displaced an entire people, and prevented the arrival of aid.

He added that it also killed patients and medical staff in Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza.

For his part, Israeli delegate Gilad Erdan said that targeting the workers at the World Central Kitchen was not intentional, and that the Israeli military did not respect the standards, as he put it.

He continued, "We will learn from this investigation and do our best to ensure that such a tragedy is not repeated."

Erdan stressed that the immediate ceasefire is contingent on the surrender of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the release of all detainees, as he put it.

An Israeli investigation into the killing of the World Central Kitchen team, consisting of seven people, in an Israeli raid in Gaza last Monday, concluded that serious errors and violations of procedures were committed by the army, which led to the decision to dismiss two officers and reprimand senior commanders.

Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip for about 6 months, leaving tens of thousands martyred and wounded, most of them children and women.

Israel continues the war despite the issuance of a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, and despite its first appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies