Ceasefire agreement remains elusive, reports Palestinian ambassador
Palestinian Ambassador Salah Abdel Shafi has called on the international community to take urgent, practical steps to pressure Israel and allow aid into the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations (UN) has warned of a catastrophic hunger crisis and a "dystopian landscape."
Addressing the High-Level UN Conference on Palestine held on July 29, 2025, Abdel Shafi emphasized the need for concrete actions, including an immediate, permanent ceasefire to halt ongoing violence and facilitate aid delivery. He also urged a massive surge in humanitarian aid, with all Gaza border crossings opened and a significant increase in aid truck convoys to meet urgent needs.
Abdel Shafi further stressed the importance of international leverage on Israel through political and diplomatic measures. Countries that fail to act risk complicity in international crimes, he warned. The ambassador also highlighted the need for safe access for UN and aid organizations in Gaza during humanitarian pauses or corridors. Lastly, he called for Israel to lift its military restrictions on aid distribution, ensuring the supply of food, medicine, and water to Gaza's civilian population.
These measures were strongly advocated for by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, at the conference. The urgent need for immediate action, including a ceasefire and massive humanitarian aid increases, was underscored.
Supporting developments show Israel, under international pressure, has started limited humanitarian pauses and aid airdrops, and agreed to safe UN convoy passages. However, UN agencies stress that this remains insufficient compared to the pre-war baseline of over 500 aid trucks daily needed to prevent starvation.
Russia, too, has repeatedly stressed the need for aid in the Gaza Strip. On July 30, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated her shared assessments of the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip with international organizations.
The ambassador's call for action reflects growing concern and frustration over the lack of progress on key issues. Despite the High-Level UN Conference on Palestine, the conference in New York did not result in practical steps to halt hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
Britain has also added pressure on Israel, with threats to recognize Palestine if Israel does not comply with international law and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In summary, the international community is being urged to take practical steps, as stressed by Salah Abdel Shafi, including the enforcement of a ceasefire, full opening of crossings, massive aid influx, and political/diplomatic pressure on Israel to comply with international humanitarian law and enable humanitarian relief in Gaza without restrictions.
- The Palestinian Ambassador, Salah Abdel Shafi, urged the international community to exert political and diplomatic pressure on Israel to enforce a ceasefire, increase humanitarian aid, and ensure open crossings, as this is crucial to preventing a catastrophic hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip.
- In the wake of the High-Level UN Conference on Palestine, the international community is being encouraged to enforce practical steps, as advocated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other nations, including the full opening of crossings, a massive surge in humanitarian aid, and political/diplomatic pressure on Israel, to comply with international humanitarian law and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
