The Arab Group in the UN Security Council called, today, Saturday, for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and a more serious and decisive response to the humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement: "The Security Council held a briefing session to discuss the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression on July 26, in which it hosted the Deputy Commissioner-General of UNRWA and the Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine." It added: "The member states of the Council pointed to the extent of the humanitarian tragedy and the serious violations affecting the Palestinian people," stressing the importance of a ceasefire to save civilians and deliver humanitarian aid. It explained: "The Chargé d'Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Iraq to the United Nations in New York, Abbas Kadhim Obaid, made a statement on behalf of the Arab Group in his capacity as its Chairman, in which he explained that the Israeli aggression o n the Gaza Strip caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, according to the description of all United Nations agencies and international relief organizations operating on the ground, despite the repeated warnings and appeals issued by these organizations." He stressed that "the Gaza Strip has turned into a disaster area unfit for habitation, and that conditions are worsening, especially among children, as a result of the Strip being subjected to continuous military attacks by the Israeli occupation forces, which led to mass forced displacement and an increase in the number of civilian casualties, the closure of the main crossings and the imposition of more restrictions, which led to the cessation of medical evacuation operations and the cutting off of humanitarian aid to Gaza." He added that: "In light of the scarcity of medical and health care, the spread of diseases, and the shortage of food and medicine, the Israeli occupation forces are pursuing a systematic policy of turning famine into a weapon o f war and humanitarian aid into a bargaining chip, which has exacerbated the scale of human suffering in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing war of extermination waged by the occupation forces against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, violating all international standards, including relevant Security Council resolutions. In his speech, Obaid called on the Security Council to "immediately and sustainably cease fire and respond to the humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip in a more serious and decisive manner, as we cannot witness this shocking suffering due to the continued closure and even destruction of crossings and obstruction of the distribution of aid inside the Gaza Strip." He called for "full commitment to international humanitarian law, opening all entry points to Gaza for humanitarian and commercial supplies, and meeting the basic humanitarian needs of civilians," expressing "gratitude to all humanitarian organizations operating in the Gaza Strip despite all the risks and challenges and fo r their determination to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, and to provide support and solidarity with these institutions and their staff in their noble mission, primarily the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Source: National Iraqi News Agency