Security Council holds emergency talks on Israel-Hamas... no immediate action taken

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the 8th (local time) began urgent discussions in response to the escalating tensions in the Gaza Strip triggered by the attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas. The United States demanded that the council members condemn Hamas's 'heinous terrorist' acts, but no immediate measures such as adopting a statement at the Security Council level were taken.

On the 8th (local time), a fire broke out due to an airstrike in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the UN, the Security Council convened an informal consultation at 3 p.m. that day to discuss Middle East issues and other matters on the agenda.

Informal consultations are closed meetings held by the 15 Security Council members to conduct in-depth discussions on relevant issues. This meeting was urgently convened to discuss the Hamas attack on Israel on the 7th and the subsequent situation among Security Council member states.

Robert Wood, the U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN, told the Associated Press after the meeting that a 'considerable number of countries' condemned Hamas's attack, but not all did. He emphasized focusing on condemning the 'unjustified invasion and terrorist attacks' and stated, "Violent terrorist acts against the Israeli people must stop."

Vanessa Fraser, Malta's Ambassador who requested the meeting, said all condemnation should be directed at Hamas, adding, "Palestinian civilians are also victims of this incident, and Hamas has pushed them into this situation."

Although South Korea is not a Security Council member, it attended the informal consultation as an observer starting this month in preparation for its non-permanent Security Council membership next year.

This meeting was the first informal Security Council consultation attended by South Korea as an observer, with Ambassador Hwang Joon-guk to the UN representing the Korean side.

Prior to the Security Council consultation, the Israeli Ambassador to the UN and the Palestinian Authority Ambassador held consecutive press conferences, engaging in an off-stage dispute over responsibility for the current situation.

Gilad Erdan, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, held a brief press conference at the UN headquarters in New York before the Security Council meeting, calling Hamas's attack a war crime and urging the Security Council to clearly condemn Hamas's actions. Ambassador Erdan emphasized, "Israel is suffering from an unprecedented attack, and the number of casualties is catastrophic," describing the attack as "Israel's version of 9/11."

In response, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Authority Ambassador to the UN, countered in a subsequent press conference, stating, "Now is the time to stop violence and bloodshed and lift the blockade to open a political horizon (for Palestine)."

He said, "Unfortunately, for some media and politicians, history begins with the deaths of Israelis," adding, "Palestinians have endured years of death, year after year." He continued, "Israel has claimed that the blockade and repeated attacks on the Gaza Strip are to destroy Hamas's armed capabilities and establish security," but criticized, "However, Israel's blockade and attacks have achieved neither; what they have done is inflict terrible suffering on the entire civilian population."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.