Palestinian envoy: world is failing Gaza survivors as it failed the killed

Palestine’s deputy envoy to the United Nations, Majed Bamya, has delivered a searing indictment of the international community’s response to the war in Gaza, stating it is on course to fail the survivors “just as it failed those who were killed.” Addressing a high-level UN meeting on Tuesday commemorating victims of genocide, Bamya described the devastation as a “live-streamed” crime unfolding in full view of the world.

A documented genocide and a failure to act

Bamya argued the atrocities in Gaza constitute “one of the most documented crimes in modern history,” recorded both by the victims hoping for intervention and by the perpetrators confident of impunity. He questioned whether the world would prove the victims or the perpetrators right, noting that despite recognition of genocide by human rights groups and UN experts, meaningful preventive or punitive measures never materialized. He pointedly asked, “Where were the measures to prevent genocide in Palestine? Where are the measures to punish it?”

Condemning Israeli intent and non-compliance with the ICJ

The envoy cited explicit statements by Israeli officials after October 7 that, he argued, demonstrated clear intent, including declarations that “there are no innocents in Gaza” and references to Palestinians as “human animals.” He highlighted the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) provisional measures, which identified a “real and imminent risk” to Palestinians and ordered Israel to change course. Bamya stated that Israel refused to comply, attacks intensified, “starvation turned into famine,” and “the risk became reality.”

A warning against perpetual injustice and a call for accountability

Bamya warned that the systematic destruction of infrastructure and the denial of aid were not accidents of war but premeditated actions aimed at making life impossible. He stressed that the denial of justice for generations has allowed crimes to recur. “We failed those who were killed. We must not continue failing those who survive,” he asserted, concluding that Palestinian victims deserve justice and protection under international law just as any other victims do.