UNITED NATIONS: Medical workers in the Gaza Strip have developed a new acronym: WCNSF, or wounded kid, no surviving family, the leader of Mdecins Sans Frontires (Doctors Without Borders) told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
Christopher Lockyear, the secretary general of MSF International, told the 15-member council, “Children who do survive this war will bear the invisible ones too, in addition to the visible ones, of traumatic injuries.”
“They experience frequent displacement, ongoing fear, and seeing family members literally torn apart in front of their eyes,” he stated. Children as young as five years old have told us that they would like to die as a result of these psychological ailments. Lockyear attacked the US, expressing his disgust at how frequently it has exercised its veto authority to prevent the council from pressing for a quick humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
“The Gaza population needs a ceasefire—not when it’s practical, but right now. They require a long-term ceasefire, not just a brief interlude of quiet, according to Lockyear. “This is the height of gross negligence.” Since the current fighting began on October 7, the US has vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions. Most recently, on Tuesday, it blocked a request for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, pressing the council to instead call for a temporary ceasefire that would be linked to the release of Hamas prisoners.
Since October 7, the Biden administration has vetoed three resolutions from the Security Council.
Zhang Jun, China’s UN ambassador, told the council that Lockyear’s briefing had “appalled” him. Zhang stated, “We hope that the tragic picture of Gaza that he painted for us can touch the conscience of a certain member of this council.”
The US had expressed worry that negotiations between the US, Egypt, Israel, and Qatar to mediate a six-week ceasefire and the release of captives could be compromised by the draft resolution it vetoed on Tuesday.
Robert Wood, the US deputy ambassador to the UN, failed to mention Lockyear’s briefing. He said that the US was pressuring Israel to permit more humanitarian aid into Gaza and that it had advised its ally against launching a ground operation in the southern Gazan town of Rafah “in lack of a viable plan for safeguarding civilians.” Wood stated, “We all want to see a durable end to this conflict.” “The speed at which the talks are moving can be discouraging. Council backing for this diplomatic effort is essential to put more pressure on Hamas to agree to the deal that is on the table.”
