By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, UNITED NATIONS, NY, Aug. 11, 2025:The oil rich South American CARICON nation of Guyana has joined mounting global calls for Israel to reverse a controversial cabinet decision to take control of Gaza City by October 7, 2025 – a move critics say will expel thousands of Palestinians, deepen the humanitarian crisis, and effectively end the two-state solution.
Speaking at the UN Security Council on Sunday, Guyana’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, warned that the planned occupation threatens not only the stability of the Middle East but also global peace.
“We, the Security Council, must respond to the fact that over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and this number increases every single day,” she said, condemning any form of collective punishment against Gaza’s civilian population.
While reaffirming Guyana’s condemnation of Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, Rodrigues-Birkett stressed that no act of violence can justify what she described as “the mass displacement, death, and destruction now unfolding.”
Guyana outlined key demands, including:
- Reversing the planned occupation of Gaza City.
- Agreeing to an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire.
- Withdrawing to pre-1967 borders in line with UN resolutions and the International Court of Justice advisory opinion.
- Granting unrestricted humanitarian access to civilians in need.
The envoy also called for the release of all hostages and stronger protections for UN personnel and humanitarian workers operating in the besieged territory.
Two top UN officials echoed the warnings. Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, cautioned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s push for “total military control” and an alternative civilian administration in Gaza could “ignite another horrific chapter of displacement, death, and destruction.”
“If implemented, these plans will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region,” Jenča said, urging full compliance with international humanitarian law.
Senior humanitarian official Ramesh Rajasingham warned that hunger-related deaths in Gaza are already rising, with humanitarian lifelines collapsing under sustained bombardment and insufficient aid.
The Israeli government has defended its military operations as essential to defeating Hamas, but critics insist the latest decision risks plunging Gaza — and the wider region — into an even deeper humanitarian disaster.
Over 60,000 Dead in Gaza as Israel Expands Offensive
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, compared to 1,200 Israelis killed and 250 taken hostage in Hamas’ initial attack. The Israeli military admitted Sunday to deliberately killing Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and four colleagues in a strike on their tent outside al-Shifa Hospital, bringing the toll of media workers killed to over 230.
Fresh bombings continued across the enclave as Israel allowed only limited airdrops of aid, while the UN Security Council met to condemn Israel’s occupation plans. Most members rejected the move, but the US defended Israel and blamed Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that seizing Gaza City was “the fastest way” to end the war.
Meanwhile, violent Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in the West Bank, including a village in Hebron, as soldiers carried out new raids and supported the settler assaults.
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