Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed the UN for inaction in Gaza, which he said has turned into “the world’s largest children’s and women’s cemetery.”
“Not only children but also the UN system is dying in Gaza,” Erdogan told the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The truth, the values that the West claims to defend are dying … I ask openly: Hey human rights organizations, aren’t those in Gaza and the West Bank human beings?”
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says at least 41,467 people have been killed in the war, now in its 12th month, between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but the UN and multiple humanitarian organizations consider the casualty numbers broadly reliable. The UN says the majority of civilians killed have been women and children.
Biden warns against ‘full-scale war’ in Lebanon
US President Joe Biden called for a diplomatic solution as Israel conducts airstrikes in Lebanon, warning against a “full-scale war” there.
“Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible,” Biden said in an address to the UN General Assembly.
Israel says it is launching strikes on Hezbollah weapons facilities and warehouses. The Lebanese Health Ministry says the strikes have killed at least 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women since Monday.
In his speech at the UN, Biden also urged Israel and Hamas to finalize a months-old cease-fire proposal. He told the UN he was committed to ending the war in Gaza, which began almost a year ago.
“Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms,” he said of the agreement mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
The deal would “bring the hostages home and secure security for Israel and Gaza free from Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war,” Biden told delegates.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants carried out a terror attack on Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 people hostage. Israel’s retaliatory military operation has killed 41,467 people and wounded 95,921 more, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its counts.
