Palestine's UN envoy breaks down as he pleads with Security Council over Gaza


Adla Massoud
  • English
  • Arabic

The Palestinian ambassador to the UN broke down in tears on Wednesday as he pleaded with the Security Council to address the deepening crisis in Gaza.

“I have grandchildren. I know what they mean to their families, and to see the situation of the Palestinians without us having hearts to do something is beyond the ability of any normal human being to tolerate,” Riyad Mansour said, his voice shaking, at one point pounding the table during his emotional speech.

He condemned attacks on civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli, but denounced what he called “double standards” in global responses.

“Nothing can justify attacking civilians … we are human beings. We are proud Palestinians. We should be treated exactly like everybody else,” he said.

Mr Mansour accused the international community of ignoring the plight of Palestinians. “You cannot just see what you want in the mirror and ignore the huge elephant in the room, the Palestinian people,” he said.

“I can assure you that we are rooted in Palestine more than the olive trees … we will not wither away. We are staying in our homeland, and we will attain our inalienable rights, hopefully sooner than later."

Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, reminded Mr Mansour of the words of Israel’s former prime minister, Golda Meir, who held office five decades ago: “Peace will come when you will love your children more than you hate us.”

Mr Danon accused UN agencies of blocking aid deliveries to Gaza, claiming hundreds of lorries loaded with supplies were stuck at border crossings due to the UN’s failure to distribute them.

“As we speak, there are more than 400 lorries already on the other side of the fence, waiting to be distributed, but the UN has failed to pick them up,” he told reporters before the Security Council meeting on Gaza. “We opened the crossings. We provided safe routes for those lorries. But the UN did not show up."

About 600 lorries entered the enclave daily during a ceasefire this year, according to the UN.

Mr Danon also rejected allegations by UN and Gaza health officials that Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians trying to gain access to aid through a new US-backed distribution system on Tuesday. At least one Palestinian was killed and 48 others were wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

“There were a few riots. It took the American teams some time to take control of the situation, but I can say it out loud: We didn’t shoot anyone over there,” Mr Danon said.

He said Israel would continue allowing UN-facilitated aid into Gaza while the new US-backed mechanism expands across the enclave.

A day after the incident, the World Food Programme said “hordes of hungry people” broke into one of the agency's warehouses in central Gaza on Wednesday, with initial reports indicating that two people had died and several were injured.

“Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve,” the WFP said in a statement.

With severe shortages of food, water and medicine, Palestinians in Gaza have grown increasingly desperate. There have been long queues forming at aid centres and reports of violent clashes over limited supplies.

The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, condemned Israel's military operations in the enclave.

“The disproportionate use of force and the deaths of civilians cannot be tolerated. The continued targeting of civilian infrastructure is unacceptable,” she said in a statement.

Ms Kallas repeated that humanitarian aid “must never be politicised or militarised” and recalled the role of the UN in distributing humanitarian assistance.

“The EU reiterates its urgent call for the immediate, unimpeded and sustained resumption of aid at scale, according to the needs of the civilian population in Gaza.”

The Book of Collateral Damage

Sinan Antoon

(Yale University Press)

Challenge Cup result:

1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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In Dubai

Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)

Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining

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Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

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A smartphone app for buying and selling shares

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An illegal practice  

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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The biog

Name: Timothy Husband

Nationality: New Zealand

Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney

Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier

Favourite music: Billy Joel

Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia

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Oppenheimer
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THE DETAILS

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Dir: David Leitch

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz

Four stars

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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Tips on buying property during a pandemic

Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.

While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.

While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar. 

Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.

Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities. 

Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong. 

Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.

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'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic

Power: 242bhp

Torque: 370Nm

Price: Dh136,814

PRISCILLA
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Updated: May 29, 2025, 8:06 AM`