The situation in Gaza, he told Security Council members, was deteriorating daily as the flow of humanitarian aid faced insurmountable challenges.
“Amid displacement on an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is teetering on the brink,” Wennesland said.
In a briefing from Jerusalem, the UN envoy warned of grave concern about the escalation of violence in the West Bank as well as rhetoric that justifies the killing of civilians.
For his part, Major General Patrick Gauchat, head of the Truce Supervision Organization, recognized the impact of operations and regional dynamics following the October 7 attacks.
“Since October 8, there have been numerous ceasefire violations along the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon and in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria,” he warned.
The debate, scheduled for Monday and postponed until today, focused on the urgency of cessation of hostilities and the need for further humanitarian assistance.
The committee will address the issue again this afternoon. Members are expected to vote on a draft resolution put forward by the United Arab Emirates after lengthy negotiations.
The draft expresses deep concern about the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the enclave and its serious impact on the civilian population there.
It also calls for full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to and within the entire Gaza Strip.
China's Ambassador and Permanent Representative Zhang Jun reiterated that no country should hesitate to support the resolution.
Civilians in Gaza lack access to water, electricity and other essentials, while aid trucks line up with stockpiled supplies. in Egypt.
The entire aid network is “on the verge of paralysis due to Israel's indiscriminate bombing, which is even more worrying,” he added.
Only a ceasefire could prevent further civilian casualties, including hostages, or prevent the regional conflict from spiraling out of control, the Chinese diplomat said.
In this sense, the Permanent Representative of Russia, Vasily Nebenzia, recalled that so far 19,000 people have lost their lives in Gaza due to Israeli attacks, 70 percent of them women and children.
More than two million people are now internally displaced in the enclave, which remains under a total blockade, patchy internet access and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid.
People in the Gaza Strip are suffering unprecedented levels of hunger and thirst, while doctors lack the most basic supplies, said Mohamed Issa Abushahab, ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
“This should be a wake-up call that the current status quo cannot continue, and that starts with the current situation in Gaza,” he stressed.
The day is considered crucial as the Security Council may announce a binding resolution.
However, diplomatic negotiations point to a possible refusal by the US, which has already vetoed two resolutions within the body since the crisis began.
ro/ebr