The Gaza Leningrad-Like Siege Must End – Russian Diplomat
Rafah Checkpoint
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, has equated the situation in the Gaza Strip to the siege of Leningrad during World War II.
Nebenzia reportedly made the comparison on Tuesday a day after he visited the Rafah checkpoint as part of a UN Security Council delegation.
“There is a terrible humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, and it is getting worse every day, although it is impossible to imagine what could be worse than it is now,” he said at the UN General Assembly.
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He added, “I remember the siege of Leningrad by the Nazis during World War II, which lasted 900 days and claimed the lives of more than a million people … as a result of bombing and starvation.”
“Is Gaza facing the same fate? It is impossible to imagine how this is happening in this day and age,” he stressed.
During the trip, the delegation met with local authorities and humanitarian workers in Gaza.
Nebenzia said it “allowed us to better understand what is happening in Gaza.”
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The Rafah crossing is the only entry into Gaza through which limited humanitarian aid has been allowed.
On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Submitted by Egypt and Mauritania, 153 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 23 abstained and 10 countries voted against, including Israel and the United States.
The resolution is non-binding but comes at a time when Israel faces mounting international pressure to end its months-long assault on Gaza.
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Courtesy: The Palestine Chronicle (Posted on Dec 13, 2023)
