UNSC to hold emergency meeting after Israel's massacre in Rafah

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

2126 GMT — The UN Security Council has convened an emergency meeting after what Israel said was a "precision strike" on a displaced persons camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that killed at least 45 people, wounded 250, some of them burned alive and others slashed into pieces.

The closed-door meeting was requested by Algeria, which is currently a non-permanent member of the council, diplomats said.

2017 GMT — UN chief condemns Israel strike in Rafah, calls for 'horror' to end

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned an Israeli strike on Gaza's southern city of Rafah, saying the attack "killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict."

"There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop," Guterres added in a social media post.

2233 GMT — Luxembourg, Belgium seek 'useful' recognition of Palestine

Luxembourg and Belgium are seeking a more impactful and "useful" recognition of Palestinian statehood, its foreign ministers have said.

"What changed since the recognition of Palestine as a state by three European countries?” Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel told reporters at the doorstep of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, referring to Spain, Ireland and Norway, which said they would formally recognise a Palestinian state on May 28.

He stressed the need for an international movement of recognition, including Asian and Latin American countries, to get more impact.

"This could have more impact, so I prefer to wait a bit more. We will do it, we will do it, because Palestine has the right to be recognized. But I think the best moment — and it’s not the condition of having 10 or 15 (countries), but to have something international — (is when) maybe the Israelis will realise that it is not only one or two European countries, but it is the world who considers that Palestine has a right. That's different," Bettel added.

For our live updates from Monday, May 28, 2024, click here.