On September 26, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the United Nations General Assembly to intervene and stop the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas militants. He declared that Israel's actions have nearly obliterated Gaza, rendering it uninhabitable.
"This insanity cannot persist. The global community shares responsibility for the plight of our people," he stated to the assembly of 193 nations.
The conflict escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and around 250 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli reports. In retaliation, Israel's military has bombarded the densely populated Palestinian territory, displacing nearly all of its 2.3 million residents and causing over 41,000 fatalities, as reported by Palestinian health officials.
Efforts by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas have so far been unsuccessful.
Abbas called for a complete and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, an end to attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the provision of humanitarian aid across Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area. He emphasized, "We will not accept the creation of buffer zones or the loss of any part of Gaza."
He asserted that the State of Palestine must assume its responsibilities in Gaza and exercise full authority, particularly over border checkpoints like Rafah. Abbas insisted that the Palestinian Authority he leads should govern all Palestinian territories and mentioned plans for elections following the cessation of hostilities.
In response, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon criticized Abbas’s remarks, accusing him of advocating for peace only at the U.N. while failing to condemn the October 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war in Gaza