UAE, Malta Call for UN Security Council Meeting on Gaza Next Week

On Friday, the United Arab Emirates and Malta requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting next week. 

The purpose of the meeting is the "very worrying" developments in Palestine, according to UAE mission spokesperson Shahd Matar.

The operations by the Israeli forces were deeply intensified in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including the continued air strikes against civilians, and the non-stop attacks on hospitals. 

The UAE and Malta also requested briefings to the Council from Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, and Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of UNICEF, to discuss the impacts of war on women, and children. 

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a draft resolution submitted by Malta, calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian truces for a sufficient number of days in the Gaza Strip, and the release of the hostages.”

China's delegate to the Security Council, Zhang Jun, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, announced that the Council adopted the resolution "to enable rapid, safe and unhindered access for UN humanitarian agencies, in line with international law."

The resolution calls for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian factions and calls on all parties to comply with their obligations under international law including international regarding the protection of civilians, especially children.