Israel’s UN Amb Danny Danon to UNSC: ‘Many of you have forgotten why we are in Gaza, but we have not... we will never abandon them’

UN Security Council holds first meeting about hostages since Oct 7

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The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday held its first meeting since Oct. 7 to address the plight of the hostages in Hamas captivity. The session was convened at the request of the United States, the United Kingdom and France, following the recent execution of six Israeli hostages by their Palestinian captors.

“The six hostages executed this weekend were murdered at the same time negotiators were discussing the names of individuals in a ceasefire deal,” U.S. Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.

“It calls into question the sincerity of Hamas negotiators and it revealed yet again the ugly truth about the vile, deprave ideology that Hamas represents,” she stressed. “These latest murders confirm that Hamas is a terrorist organization. I know some members of this council won't acknowledge that, but that's the simple truth: No member of this council would tolerate their citizens being taken hostage and murdered.”

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon made an urgent appeal to UN member states, calling for the discussion to take place.

"After 11 months since the kidnapping of hundreds of innocent civilians, it is certainly time for the Security Council to address this issue,״ he said.

In his speech, Danon held photos of the six slain hostages and shared each of their biographies, adding: “These six beautiful innocent heroic souls were executed by Hamas after more than 330 days of being held captive. Hamas shot bullets in the back of each of their heads.”

Danon described the physical, mental and sexual abuse that Israeli hostages released from Gaza in November experienced while in captivity. He quoted 21-year-old Maya Regev, who said: "Every woman held by Hamas has been sexually abused.”

The Israeli ambassador accused UN member state representatives of behaving “as if October 7 never happened."

"Many of you have forgotten why we are in Gaza, but we have not," Danon told the council. Today, I am here to remind you and the world that we will never forget them, we will never abandon them, [hostages] who are being tortured by monsters."

Regarding efforts to release the 101 remaining hostages, he noted: "Israel is committed to bringing every one of these hostages home. It is our top priority. But make no mistake; the roadblock to their release is not Israel; it is Hamas and only Hamas.

In his closing remarks during the three-hour discussion, Danon urged the council to unequivocally condemn Hamas – referring to it as a "barbaric terrorist organization which continues to hold innocent lives" – and called for the immediate release of the abductees.

Israel’s delegation to the UN invited Dr. Efrat Baron Har-Lev, a physician from Schneider Children's Medical Center, to brief the council. Her hospital has been treating the 19 Israeli children who were held hostage in Gaza and released in November.

Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev is the director of the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Israel, which treated 19 Israeli children who were released from Gaza after several weeks in Hamas captivity.

She shared her harrowing testimony with the UN Security Council today: pic.twitter.com/vyZkPsHrwk
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) September 4, 2024

“We never imagined and never thought that we would have to prepare to treat [children aged] 3,4,5,8 or 14-year-olds, who came back from captivity. We searched for literature, for previous knowledge, but none was found. We created new protocols, but we knew that we'll have to be very sensitive and very flexible,” Har-Lev explained.

“When they arrived, they did not look like children. They looked like shadows of children,” she recalled.

Har-Lev went on to describe what the hostage children had endured after 50 days in Gaza.

“They were kept in captivity, kept in complete silence. They were not allowed to cry, not allowed to laugh. Not even allowed to stand up. They hardly ate, kept every bite of bread. Moved from place to place in the middle of the night, horrified,” she said.

The doctor noted that even nine months after their return to Israel, the young former hostages still wake up at night with nightmares.

“They still haven’t returned to normal life.”