An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council held on October 9 has failed to produce a joint statement concerning the recent attack on Israel, despite strong calls from the United States for member nations to condemn Hamas.

The conflict has resulted in a tragic toll, with over 1,100 casualties reported, including 413 Palestinians and approximately 700 Israelis. The violence erupted when Hamas launched a surprise multi-pronged attack on Israel, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to respond with retaliatory strikes and declare war against the militant and political group that governs the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

The emergency meeting was convened in New York City, and before it took place, Robert Wood, the alternate permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, expressed his expectation that all 15 member states would condemn Hamas’ attack.

Following the closed-door meeting, during which the attendees received an on-the-ground briefing from U.N. Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland, Wood told reporters that “a good number of countries” did heed the United States’ call to condemn Hamas, but not all, hinting that Russia might be among those who did not.

Unanimity among the Security Council members is required for the production of a joint statement.

China’s permanent representative, Zhang Jun, expressed Beijing’s support for the council by issuing a statement and condemning all attacks against civilians.

Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates, and one of the 10 non-permanent members of the council, anticipated “many more meetings” on the matter in the near future.

The recent Hamas attack followed an escalation of Israeli violence directed at Gaza and further encroachment on Palestinian land in the illegally occupied West Bank.

In late August, Wennesland reported that more than 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis had been killed throughout the year in various forms of violence, surpassing the previous year’s death toll. He emphasized that the violence was fueled by growing despair and the lack of progress toward a political solution, which had created a dangerous vacuum filled by extremists on both sides.

Hamas has governed Gaza since expelling the Palestinian Authority in 2007.

Riyad Mansour, the ambassador of the permanent observer mission of the State of Palestine, who did not participate in the meeting, warned that they had repeatedly alerted the U.N. Security Council to the consequences of inaction regarding Israeli impunity and the ongoing violence against their people. Mansour stressed the need for Israel to change its course and seek a path to peace that prevents further loss of life.

In contrast, Gilad Erdan, the permanent representative of Israel to the United Nations, who also did not participate in the meeting, angrily compared the attack to historic tragedies, equating it to Nazi Germany’s actions against Jews and even referring to it as Israel’s 9/11. He vehemently condemned Hamas’ actions as war crimes and expressed the urgent need for an end to the violence and the blockade, advocating for the opening of a political horizon to seek a peaceful resolution.

Source: with agencies