Crisis overshadows UN session as it urges peace amid Israel's offensive

Israel has intensified its attacks in Gaza, killing more than 100 people in the past 24 hours, and continuously disregarding calls for a ceasefire as world leaders gather in New York for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The military's overnight and early Thursday morning attacks across the Palestinian territory killed at least 15 people, including children in a family home sheltering displaced people in the central al-Zawayda area, Al Jazeera reported.

Four people were killed in a house in southern Khan Younis city, while many others were wounded in both attacks.

READ MORE: Leaders push for Gaza peace, demand action

Israel's retaliatory aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has resulted in more than 65,000 Palestinian deaths, with thousands feared trapped under rubble, inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams because of Israeli attacks, Wafa News Agency reported on Thursday.

A summit between United States President Donald Trump and the leaders of eight states representing the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, discussed ending the atrocities in Gaza on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

In a joint statement following the meeting, the Arab and Islamic leaders highlighted the "unbearable situation in the Gaza Strip, including the humanitarian catastrophe and high human toll, as well as its serious consequences for the region and impact on the Muslim world as a whole".

They reiterated their common position, rejecting forced displacement and emphasizing the need to allow those who have left to return.

The leaders also emphasized "the need to end the war and achieve an immediate ceasefire that would ensure the release of the hostages and allow the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid as the first step toward a just and lasting peace".

They underscored the need to finalize the details of a stabilization plan while ensuring stability in the West Bank and Jerusalem's Holy Sites, and supported the Palestinian Authority's reform efforts.

"Participants affirmed the need to ensure a comprehensive plan for reconstruction in Gaza, based on the Arab and OIC plan, as well as security arrangements, with international assistance supporting the Palestinian leadership, and expressed commitment to work together to ensure the success of plans and to rebuild the lives of Palestinians in Gaza," the statement added.

Two-state solution

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Spain's King Felipe VI said the international community must assume its responsibility to quickly realize a viable two-state solution.

"We cannot keep silent, nor look the other way, when confronted with so much devastation," he said, condemning "abhorrent acts that are the very opposite of everything that this forum represents".

Alexander Stubb, president of Finland, said "a stable Palestine will also significantly benefit the security of Israel".

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that she is not opposed to recognizing a Palestinian state.

"I'm not opposed to recognizing Palestine, but we need to establish our priorities," Meloni told journalists in New York, prior to addressing the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

She said her ruling coalition would introduce a motion in parliament setting two conditions for recognizing the State of Palestine — "freeing the hostages and, of course, the exclusion of Hamas from all government processes in Palestine".

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed some Western countries for recognizing Palestinian statehood, saying the moves do not obligate Israel in any way and reiterated that there "will be no Palestinian state".

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At Jerusalem's Ben Gurion International Airport, before departing for New York, where he will also address the UN, Netanyahu said he would "tell our truth — citizens of Israel, the truth of the Israel Defense Forces, of our state".

In Washington, Netanyahu said that he will meet with Trump for the fourth time.

Dina Yulianti Sulaeman, director of the Indonesia Center for Middle East Studies, told China Daily that Netanyahu's statement appears to be a political strategy to secure his position before his speech at the UN.

"Netanyahu's stance actually undermines Trump because it shows his powerlessness in the face of Israel," she said.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com