UNSC: Algeria Calls for Urgent Gaza Ceasefire, Full Implementation of Agreements

Algeria has emphasized the critical need to restore a ceasefire in Gaza and fully implement all provisions of the agreement that has been breached by the Zionist entity. This was articulated by Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s permanent representative to the UN, during a statement made on Friday from New York.

In his address at the monthly Security Council meeting concerning “the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question,” Bendjama remarked that the “terrifying images” of victims resulting from the Zionist aggression against Gaza—now part of history following the ceasefire agreement signed last January—have reemerged.

The Algerian diplomat highlighted that Palestinians in Gaza are left “frightened, powerless, and devastated,” after hostilities resumed last Tuesday, leading to over 400 Palestinian deaths in one night, including 174 children, 89 women, and 32 elderly individuals, alongside more than 500 others wounded. He noted that these casualties contribute to a grim total of over 17,000 children, 12,000 women, and 2,000 elderly individuals killed since October 7, 2023.

He also mentioned the tragic death of an employee from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and five workers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) during the recent violence, indicating that the occupation regards humanitarian workers as “legitimate targets.”

Bendjama stressed that “the protection of civilians, the facilitation of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and adherence to principles such as distinction and proportionality are not optional but obligatory commitments.”

He reiterated the urgent necessity for a return to ceasefire and the execution of all stages of the agreement to establish a sustainable and comprehensive ceasefire, asserting that “there must be no double standards when it comes to respecting international law.”

Furthermore, he contended that the genocidal tactics employed by the Zionist occupation extend beyond Gaza, affecting all occupied Palestinian territories, with the aim of “obliterating any prospect of a Palestinian state and expelling the Palestinian people from their homeland.”

Regarding the West Bank, the official indicated that the objective of the Zionist occupation is explicit: to impose complete sovereignty over this territory through “massacres, forced displacements, land expropriation, settlement expansion, and destruction.”

The Algerian diplomat recalled that nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, including 180 children, while an additional 4,000 have sustained injuries. He added that about 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the past two months, with refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem now emptied of residents. Furthermore, hundreds of homes have been destroyed, and over 500 houses and civilian structures have been demolished in Jenin, highlighting that land expropriation has reached “an unprecedented level.”

In this context, he pointed out that for the first time since the Oslo Accords, the Zionist authorities have recently issued evacuation orders for lands west of Jenin, while simultaneously over 10,300 housing units are currently under construction, along with the establishment of 49 new Zionist settlements, which he described as “an unprecedented figure.”

In addressing the assaults committed by settlers, the speaker highlighted reports indicating “an average of 118 assaults per month against Palestinians, carried out with complete impunity.” He noted that these attacks “represent blatant violations of United Nations resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334.”

In light of these violations and the ongoing massacres in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, especially in Jerusalem, Bendjama asserted that the persistent Zionist occupation of the Palestinian territories is the primary source of suffering for all parties involved. He stated, “One cannot occupy a territory, deprive its people of their rights, humiliate them, take their lives, and expect to establish security.”

He emphasized that “true security can only be attained through diplomatic means, particularly through dialogue and the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people,” expressing concern that the Zionist occupation “creates a new reality that could jeopardize the establishment of a Palestinian state,” thereby challenging the collective will of the international community and the Security Council.

The Algerian ambassador concluded his remarks by asking, “When will we fulfill our commitments and ensure respect for and implementation of our collective decisions regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital?”