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In an emotional address to the United Nations Security Council, the Palestinian ambassador broke down in tears as he described the suffering of children and families in Gaza, urging the international community to act decisively and immediately to stop what he called a "genocide."
Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s ambassador to the UN, painted a harrowing picture of life in the besieged enclave, where more than seven months of war have left residents clinging to survival with barely any access to food, water or medicine.
"It's outrageous. How much more do you want? Palestinians have been deprived of the basics of life for far too long: water, food, and medicine. They're hanging by a thread.”
Speaking through visible emotion, Mansour recalled heart-wrenching scenes of “mothers hugging their lifeless children, stroking their hair, apologizing to them.” His voice broke as he added, “I also have grandchildren. I know what they mean to their families, and watching this happen to Palestinian families, while the world does nothing, is beyond what any normal person can endure.”
His impassioned plea comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens by the day. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that desperate crowds stormed a food distribution center, resulting in multiple deaths. The chaos underlined the dire shortages and starvation many in Gaza now face.
"It's outrageous. How much more do you want?" Mansour asked the council in frustration, condemning what he called the "inaction" of the Security Council. “Palestinians have been deprived of the basics of life for far too long, water, food, and medicine. They're hanging by a thread.”
He accused Israel of staging a façade of allowing aid to enter Gaza, while in reality, “life there is impossible.” He insisted that if there were true will, crossings would be opened and full humanitarian access granted in coordination with the United Nations and UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“Israel's real concern,” Mansour claimed, “is not aid. It's how to get rid of the Palestinians, by killing them, starving them, and leaving them no choice but to flee.”
Mansour ended his speech with a defiant promise that Palestinians will not abandon their land. “We are rooted in Palestine more than the Roman olive trees. We will not leave. We will not wither. We will stay in our homeland. Do something. Stop this crime against the Palestinian people. Stop this genocide.”
The Security Council has so far failed to pass a resolution that could lead to a ceasefire or impose humanitarian access obligations. Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza continues to rise, and the voices from the ground are growing louder — not just for food and water, but for justice and an end to the violence.
