11 Palestinians killed every hour in Gaza war: Palestine’s UN envoy

Mansour said residents in Gaza are being killed, tortured and humiliated, and children are being amputated and orphaned as he called for an end to Israeli atrocities in the Palestinian enclave at a UN General Assembly meeting on a US veto for a Gaza cease-fire

“During these 90 days, 11 Palestinians were killed every hour, including seven women and children. Every single hour for 90 days. Hundreds are killed every day to this day,” he added.

“Ninety days of hell on earth. Ninety days of massacres. How many more Palestinians killed till you say enough is enough? How many more tragedies? How much more destruction?” the envoy continued.

Mansour said 1% of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, and “that is the equivalent of 3 million Americans.”

“Three percent of Palestinians in Gaza have been wounded. Take a moment and imagine what that represents compared to your own population. That is the equivalent of 10 million Americans,” he added.

“Eighty-seven percent of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced. Take a moment and imagine what that represents compared to your own population. That is the equivalent of 284 million Americans.”

Mansour said supporting an immediate cease-fire is the only moral, legitimate and responsible position.

He cautioned that security will never come through the death, destruction and dehumanization of the Palestinian people.

“Our people have a right to life. To freedom. To justice. Palestine is here to stay. The Palestinian people are here to stay. The Palestinian people will not disappear, but their resilience is no reason to prolong their suffering,” added the envoy.

“Don’t call for peace and spread fire. If you want peace, start with a cease-fire. Cease fire. Cease fire. Now,” he stated.

The UN refugee agency also announced the Gaza Strip has become an “uninhabitable place” as Israel continued its deadly military offensive in the Palestinian territory since Oct. 7.

“Gaza is the worst place on earth, and the enclave is being transformed into an uninhabitable place,” Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), told the UN News website.

“There are 1.9 million displaced people across the enclave, of whom around 1.4 million seek shelter in 155 UN-run schools and shelters,” he added.

The UNRWA spokesman said that most of Gaza’s population are being forced to flee to Rafah city in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt.

“There are around 1.4 million displaced people in Rafah and this figure is likely to rise to 1.5 million,” Abu Hasna said, adding, “UNRWA cannot cope with the unfolding collapse.”

“What is happening not only exceeds the capabilities of UNRWA but also the capabilities of countries, as an entire population is being displaced to the city of Rafah.”

UN rapporteurs on Wednesday said that the starvation and lack of housing due to damages caused by Israel in Gaza aggravate charges of “genocide.”

Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, wrote on X that 45% of people in Gaza experience severe hunger.

“In some areas 9 out of 10 families go 24 hours without food,” Albanese continued, adding: “This aggravates charges of genocide, as physical destruction can be achieved through starvation (ICTR).”

Regarding the housing situation, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the special rapporteur on the right to housing, wrote on X that about 56% of houses in Gaza are destroyed or damaged.

More than 23,300 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 60,000 injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.