Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča briefed a Security Council meeting on Tuesday called by Israel to discuss the plight of hostages still being held in the war-ravaged enclave.

It comes after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad released images and videos of two emaciated hostages, Evaytar David and Rom Braslavsky, sparking outrage and condemnation. 

‘An affront to humanity itself’

“The scenes of Evaytar apparently being forced to dig his own grave are appalling,” he said.

“These images, and their own accounts of their treatment, have horrified us all. They are an affront to humanity itself.”

Mr. Jenča acknowledged the presence of Mr. David’s brother, Ilay, who participated in the meeting via videoconference, saying the UN recognises “the profound pain and hardship endured by the families and loved ones of those who remain in captivity.”

He recalled that this week the Jewish community commemorated Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning and remembrance of tragedies endured throughout its history.

“I pay tribute to your courage and determination, and I share your dearest wish: for your brother, and all hostages held in Gaza, to be immediately and unconditionally released,” he said.

A war crime

Currently, 50 hostages continue to be held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in horrific conditions and 28 are thought to be deceased, while freed hostages “have relayed distressing accounts of deprivation, ill-treatment, and abuse.”

Since the conflict began, Hamas and other armed groups have circulated dozens of videos of hostages, including statements made under duress and while clearly suffering, including the most recent footage of the two men.

“International law is clear,” said Mr. Jenča.  “Hostage-taking is prohibited – it is a war crime.”

He stressed that people deprived of their liberty must be treated humanely and with dignity and allowed to be visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). 

“They must never be subject to ill-treatment, abuse, or humiliation, as these would also constitute violations of relevant rules of international law,” he added, before reiterating UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s call on Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. 

Gaza situation ‘unbearable’

Meanwhile, “the situation in Gaza is horrifying – it is unbearable,” he continued, noting that “Palestinians are subjected to squalid, inhumane conditions on a daily basis.”

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, according to local health authorities.

“Since the end of May, over 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and over 8,100 injured while trying to access food supplies, including in the vicinity of militarized aid distribution sites,” said Mr. Jenča.

“The deaths and injuries continue to mount, day by day, with no end in sight to the suffering.”

This is happening as Israel continues to severely restrict humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, while the aid that is allowed to enter “is grossly inadequate.”

‘Hunger is everywhere’

He told the Council that “hunger is everywhere in Gaza, visible in the faces of children and in the desperation of parents risking their lives to access the most basic supplies.”

Here, he echoed the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the ongoing violence in Gaza, including the shooting, killing, and injuring of people trying to get food. 

“International law is clear. Civilians must be respected, protected and never targeted or deliberately deprived of food or access to other lifesaving aid – doing so is a war crime,” he said.

“Israel must immediately allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of sufficient amounts of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, to avert further suffering and loss of life.”

Potential military expansion ‘deeply alarming’

Mr. Jenča also addressed latest reports regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s possible decision to expand military operations through the entire Gaza Strip.

If true, they are “deeply alarming,” he said, as “this would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza.”

He again turned to international law, which is clear that Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian State.

He cited the July 2024 Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which declared that Israel is under an obligation to immediately cease all new settlement activities, evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and to bring an end to its unlawful presence there as rapidly as possible.

No military solution

Mr. Jenča concluded his briefing by underlining the UN’s position that the only way to end the violence and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is through a full and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and allowing aid to enter at scale and without obstruction.  

Civilians also must be guaranteed safe, unhindered access to assistance.

He stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza or the broader Israel-Palestine conflict. 

“We must establish political and security frameworks that can relieve the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, start early recovery and reconstruction, address the legitimate security concerns of Israelis and Palestinians, and secure an end to Israel’s unlawful occupation and achieve a sustainable two-State solution,” he said.

This would mean “Israel and a fully independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State, of which Gaza is an integral part – living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.”