"Today, it is necessary to immediately cease fire and stop the bloodshed. It seemed to be obvious for everyone. Unfortunately, our Western colleagues in the Security Council continue to torpedo any efforts on de-escalation on the ground and block the adoption of immediate action by the Council aimed at the normalization of the situation as soon as possible and, first of all, ceasefire," Nebenzia said on Wednesday during the 10th emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Speaking of a ground operation by Israel in the Gaza Strip, the diplomat said that the Security Council cannot give "carte blanche" to the Israeli forces for these actions.
"It is obvious that a full-scale ground operation launched by Israel in Gaza could be not only a huge tragedy for 2 million people living there, but it could also pull the trigger to expand the regional conflict," Nebenzia added.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip to eliminate Hamas fighters and rescue the hostages. The escalation of the conflict has resulted in the deaths of around 1,400 people in Israel and over 8,000 in the Gaza Strip.