Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a forceful plea to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, beginning his speech by declaring three times, “We will not leave,” as he called for immediate action to halt the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“Palestine is our homeland. It is the land of our fathers, our grandfathers. It will remain ours, and if anyone were to leave, it would be the occupying usurpers,” Mahmoud Abbas said.
Abbas warned that Gaza has been almost entirely destroyed and is no longer fit for human life, urging the international community to intervene and end the devastation.
“This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people,” he said, addressing the 193-member body.
Abbas also emphasised that his government would not tolerate any territorial loss, saying, “We will not allow a single centimeter of Gaza to be taken.”
Moreover, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for Israel’s removal from the United Nations, accusing the country of repeatedly defying UN resolutions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Israel, which refuses to implement United Nations resolutions, does not deserve to be a member of this international organisation,” Abbas said during his address to the UN General Assembly. His remarks follow the UN’s earlier recognition of Palestine’s eligibility for full membership.
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a deadly assault on Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli reports.
In response, Israel’s military has carried out extensive strikes across Gaza, which Palestinian health authorities claim have killed more than 41,000 people. The assault has displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, leading to severe food shortages, disease outbreaks, and mounting casualties.
While countries like the US, Qatar, and Egypt have attempted to mediate a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages, no resolution has been achieved.
Abbas called for a complete ceasefire, an end to Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
He also insisted that the Palestinian Authority, under his leadership, should take full control of Gaza, including the management of its borders, particularly the Rafah crossing. He reiterated that elections would be held once peace is restored.
In response, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon criticised Abbas for focusing on diplomacy without condemning the Hamas attack that triggered the current war.