At a tumultuous UN Security Council session on Wednesday, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour was overcome with emotion as he detailed the catastrophic toll on Gaza’s children—tears punctuating his plea for humanity.
🕊️ “Children! Dozens… are dying of starvation.” Mansour described a war “against barbarism” that spares no innocence:
“Since Israel broke the ceasefire in March, over 1,300 Palestinian children have been killed and around 4,000 have been injured. These are children… Dozens of children are dying of starvation. The images of mothers embracing their motionless bodies… is unbearable.”
He paused, head in hand, before asking the chamber:
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“How could anyone?”
⚖️ Ceasefire shattered, violence resumed After a two‐month pause brokered by the US, Israel resumed airstrikes in March 2025—killing over 400 Palestinians in weeks. The wider offensive, launched in October 2023 after Hamas’s attack, has left more than 50,000 Palestinians dead over 19 months.
🌍 Global condemnation and counterclaims Recent days saw the UK, France and Canada jointly condemn Israel’s “egregious actions” and threaten coordinated measures. The UK also halted trade talks, with Development Minister Jenny Chapman accusing Israel of using “hunger as a weapon of war.” Netanyahu retaliated, branding those nations “on the wrong side of humanity” and vowing the conflict would end only when Gaza was fully under Israeli control.
💔 A plea for equal humanity Mansour, representing 14 million Palestinians worldwide, demanded an end to double standards:
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“Nothing can justify attacking Palestinians… We are human beings. We are proud Palestinians… We should be treated exactly like everybody else.”
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations held back tears talking about the 'unbearable' loss of children in Gaza since 'Israel broke a ceasefire in March'.
Riyad Mansour says 'nothing justifies attacking children' and adds 'dozens' are dying of starvation as people… pic.twitter.com/MyxaYYLFLT
