Ambassador Danny Danon's address at the UN
(Video: UN )
The UN Security Council held its first official discussion on the condition of the Israeli hostages in Gaza on Wednesday, with Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon in attendance.
The Israeli delegation requested that Dr. Efrat Baron Harlev from Schneider Children's Medical Center brief the council on the condition of children who had been held captive by Hamas. The Security Council agreed, but only on the condition that, for the sake of "balance," Yuli Novak, CEO of the NGO B'Tselem, also provide a briefing on the condition of the Palestinians in Gaza.
UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo opened the session by calling for the immediate release of hostages and condemned Hamas for the murder of six hostages last week. In her briefing, she praised the IDF and the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, spoke about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and welcomed the negotiations in Doha for a potential deal.
"We never imagined we will have to prepare to treat children that come back from captivity. We searched for literature but none was found, we developed new protocols. It took 50 days in which young children were not allowed to cry, laugh, not even allowed to stand up. They barely ate,” Baron Harlev said during the session.
“When they arrived, they did not look like children – they looked like the shadows of children. Nine months after their return, they still wake up terrified in the middle of the night." She added, "One girl, 14-years-old, who was kept almost alone most of her time in Gaza, was told by the terrorists holding her that there was no more Israel, that nobody’s looking for her anymore, that nobody loves her."
Baron Harlev also spoke about Sharon Cunio, who was kidnapped to Gaza with her husband David and their two daughters. "They returned skinny, scared, silent. It took them two days to get out of their room. Nine months after their return, definitely [sic] not back to their normal lives." Sharon was released as part of the first hostage deal, but David remains in captivity.
Following her, B'Tselem’s CEO Yuli Novak spoke. "Six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas as Israeli forces came close. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets. They never understood that the Israeli government doesn’t want to return the hostages in a deal but to continue the war indefinitely," she said.
"Since Israel was founded, its guiding logic has been to promote Jewish supremacy over the entire territory under its control. Many Israelis I know have been living in deep fear. Our government is cynically exploiting our trauma, committing war crimes almost daily. Israel promoting an ideological agenda making Gaza inhabitable [sic]. The international community did not stop Israel's criminal policies in Gaza and now this cruel policy is spilling over to the West Bank."
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke about Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin during the discussion. "I had the honor of getting to know Hersh through his parents. On October 7, Hamas stole their son’s future. Every person kidnapped is a world who wants peace and wants to live. Today, I want to speak to the hostages who remain in the hands of Hamas: We’re doing all we can to bring all the hostages home. The U.S. strongly condemns Hamas’ brutality. It is long past time this council do the same."
Danon read testimonies of abuse in captivity, recounting the stories of six hostages executed by Hamas and presenting their images. Danon recounted the testimony of Amit Soussana, a hostage who was sexually assaulted in Hamas captivity. "She was held in a child’s room, chained to the floor and at the mercy of her guard. He would enter the room, lift her shirt and touch her. One morning, her guard stormed in gun in hand and forced himself on her."
Danon also read the testimony of former hostage Mia Regev, who said: "Every woman experienced some form of sexual harassment. It doesn’t matter how you try to change it." He stressed the two were held captive for over 50 days, but that some women have been in captivity for nearly a year.
"[These] women have been forgotten by the international community. Agam Goldstein-Almog was held in a terror tunnel when she was 17 years old after witnessing the murder of her father and older sister. In that tunnel, she encountered six other female hostages,” he said.
“These women told her how they were molested by armed men who entered the room where they were showering. Agam herself was told by a guard that she would spend the rest of her life as a chained slave-wife in Gaza."
Danon also criticized the council. "Many of you have forgotten why we are in Gaza, but we have not forgotten. We remember the faces of the hostages, the families, and the pleas to rescue them.
“Today, I am here to remind you and the world that we will never forget them. We will never abandon our sons, daughters, sisters and brothers who are being tortured by monsters. We will not stop until they are brought home. Let me be clear: Israel is committed to bringing every one of these hostages home."
Danon called on the UN Security Council to "direct its energy where it is most needed: to support Israel. Pressure Hamas and issue a clear and unequivocal condemnation of the barbaric terrorist organization that continues to hold innocent lives. Now is the time for the Security Council to adopt a clear and unequivocal resolution."