UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that the Gaza Strip was in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe,” as calls grew for a cease-fire to replace the temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants.
“Intense negotiations are taking place to prolong the truce – which we strongly welcome — but we believe we need a true humanitarian cease-fire,” he told a meeting of the UN Security Council, chaired by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi because China is president of the 15-member council for November.
Last-minute talks continued between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas on Wednesday to extend a truce in Gaza.
“We should work for a comprehensive and lasting cease-fire with the greatest urgency,” Wang told the council. “There is no firewall in Gaza either. Resumed fighting would only, most likely, turn into a calamity that devours the whole region.”
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan — standing with counterparts from Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkiye, Indonesia and Malaysia — told reporters at the United Nations that aid entering Gaza was “far less than is needed.”
“The danger is that if ... this truce expires we will return to the killing at the scale that we have seen, which is unbearable,” he said. “So we are here to make a clear statement that a truce is not enough. What is needed is a cease-fire.”
Addressing the Security Council, Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan accused the ministers of supporting “a terror organization that aims to annihilate Israel.”
“Anyone who supports a cease-fire basically supports Hamas continued reign of terror in Gaza. Hamas is a genocidal terror organization — they don’t hide it — not a reliable partner for peace,” Erdan said.
Civilian protection
Israel says Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostage in a surprise assault on Oct. 7. Israel has focused its retaliation against Hamas in Gaza, bombarding it from the air, imposing a siege and launching a ground assault.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said everything possible must be done to scale up aid and protect civilians, including UN staff and journalists.
“The United States has urged Israel to take every possible measure to prevent civilian casualties as it exercises its rights to safeguard its people from acts of terror,” she told the Security Council, adding that Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields “does not lessen Israel’s responsibility.”
More than 15,000 people are confirmed killed, some 40 percent of them under the age of 18, according to Palestinian health authorities deemed reliable by the United Nations. Many more are feared buried under the ruins.
“The truce must become a cease-fire, a permanent cease-fire. The massacres cannot be allowed to resume,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told the Security Council.
“Our people are faced with an existential threat. Make no mistake about it. With all the talk about the destruction of Israel, it is Palestine that is facing a plan to destroy it, implemented in broad daylight,” he said.
Guterres briefed the Security Council on the implementation of a resolution it adopted earlier this month that called for humanitarian pauses in fighting to allow aid access and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
The United Nations has scaled up the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza — a coastal enclave of 2.3 million people — during the truce, but Guterres said the level of aid “remains completely inadequate to meet the huge needs.”
“The people of Gaza are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe before the eyes of the world,” he said. “We must not look away.”
UN chief says Gaza in midst of ‘epic humanitarian catastrophe’
https://arab.news/nvdyq
UN chief says Gaza in midst of ‘epic humanitarian catastrophe’
- Chinese foreign minister says resumed fighting in Gaza will most likely devour the whole region
- Saudi foreign minister warns aid entering Gaza is 'far less than is needed,' demands ceasefire
Lebanon signs gas exploration deal with French-Qatari-Italian consortium
- France’s TotalEnergies, Qatar Energy and Italy’s Eni signed for Block 8, planning a 1,200 sq. km 3D seismic survey to assess potential
- Previous searches in Block 4 and 9 did not yield any discoveries
BEIRUT: Lebanon on Friday signed a gas exploration deal for Block 8 with a consortium comprising France’s TotalEnergies, Qatar Energy and Italy’s Eni, in a ceremony held at the Prime Minister’s Office and attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
According to Gaby Daaboul, board member at the Lebanese Petroleum Administration, the agreement stipulates that the consortium will carry out a 3D seismic survey in Block 8, which spans 1,200 sq. km, in preparation for exploratory drilling based on analysis of the survey data.
In 2023, Lebanon marked the resumption of oil and gas exploration in its territorial waters, as a consortium that included Qatar Energy drilled an exploratory well in Block 9.
However, all activities were halted, ostensibly due to the lack of oil or gas. The companies’ cessation of operations coincided with the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Earlier hopes were dashed when gas was not found in Block 4, leaving many Lebanese disappointed.
Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water Joe Saddi, who signed the agreement on behalf of the state, described the move as “a confirmation of the consortium’s commitment to continue exploration activities in Lebanon despite all challenges, and a reflection of continued confidence in the petroleum potential of Lebanese territorial waters.
“We look forward to the consortium coordinating and promptly implementing the 3D seismic survey campaign. This will enhance geological and technical understanding of Block 8 and allow for a more accurate assessment of the opportunities available,” the minister said.
He announced the preparation of a file for launching the fourth licensing round, aiming at attracting international companies to invest in open offshore blocks and boost exploration and production activity in Lebanon.
Asked whether there are guarantees that the consortium operating in Block 8 will provide Lebanon with an official technical report, Saddi explained that “for Block 9, an official report was submitted to the Ministry and the Petroleum Sector Administration.”
He noted that oil companies do not spend tens of millions of dollars without expecting results.
“No oil was found in the Block 9 drilling area, but a full report is available. This highlights the importance of the seismic survey in Block 8 to understand the block’s detailed geology, which will guide future exploration,” he said.
Saddi stressed that regional and domestic stability will be key to accelerating the exploration process.
The agreement was signed by Romain de La Martiniere, managing director of Total Lebanon, on behalf of Total Energies; Ali Abdulla Al-Mana, head of exploration at Qatar Energy; and Andrea Cozzi, managing director for Eni’s Lebanon division.
“Lebanon looks forward to continuing its exploration efforts by promoting non-obligatory blocks, with the aim of intensifying exploration activities and achieving a commercial discovery that will boost the national economy and support sustainable development,” Daaboul said.
Lebanon’s offshore oil and gas exploration centers on 10 blocks in its exclusive economic zone, with Blocks 4, 8, 9, and 10 most relevant near the maritime border with Israel.
A 2022 US-brokered maritime border agreement resolved a long dispute, granting Israel full control of the Karish field while assigning Qana Prospect (Block 9) to Lebanon. However, Israel is poised to receive royalties from any future production there.
Lebanon is racing against time to resume exploration after Total’s 2023 drilling in Block 4 yielded negative results, prompting the company to return the block to the Lebanese state. Meanwhile, Israel began commercial production in the area roughly four months later.
Although the company was expected to resume drilling in Block 4 from a different location, it chose to return the block to the Lebanese state, where it will later be included among the blocks offered for exploration.
In 2018, Lebanon signed its first exploration contracts with three companies — Total, Eni, and Russia’s Novatek — to search for oil and gas in two blocks within its territorial waters, Blocks 4 and 9. Of the 10 blocks Lebanon has designated for oil and gas exploration, three are located in its exclusive economic zone.
Lebanese citizens are pinning their hopes on the exploration, anticipating the discovery of oil wells to help revive the struggling economy.
