UNSC must act upon its call for Gaza truce

Israel's audacity in carrying on with its genocide in Gaza, even after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, is mostly a result of the unstinted support it has received from its Western allies, especially the US, until that point. According to media reports, 66 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, not long after the UNSC's resolution was passed, Israeli air strikes killed at least 70 people in north and south Gaza.

So, despite the recent developments on the international forum, neither the UN, nor the Security Council, nor the states that enabled Israel can disassociate themselves from the deaths of more than 32,000 Palestinians in the nearly six months of this war or the burden of decades of systematic oppression in Palestine. The burden of enforcing their call for truce, therefore, also falls upon them.

The extent of Israel's crimes can be understood from the report of a top UN expert who recently stated that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the country is committing genocide in Gaza. Mere disclosure or acknowledgement is not enough anymore, however. We need meaningful interventions. There is a lot that the UNSC can do about it, should it wish to. The International Court of Justice (ICJ)—where a case on Gaza genocide is underway—also has responsibilities in this regard. Although Israel is yet to fully heed its order to admit emergency aid, forcing it to again issue a similar ruling, the court should take note of the latest report and act upon it in the genocide trial.

World leaders can no longer sit idly by while civilian deaths, fabricated starvation, and systematic persecution of a helpless community continue to take place. With the UN's voice finally fully aligned with the cries of humanity, we expect the UNSC to act upon its resolution to enforce the ceasefire, and ensure that humanitarian aid properly reaches all in the besieged strip.