UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Gaza Hostages Amid Growing Outrage

The United Nations Security Council will convene an emergency session Tuesday to address the deteriorating situation of hostages held in Gaza, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon announced Sunday, as global concern mounts over their condition and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Danon posted on social media that the Security Council will meet for a “special emergency session” to discuss what he called the “dire situation of the hostages in Gaza.” His announcement follows a wave of public anger after videos surfaced showing two Israeli hostages — Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David — appearing visibly emaciated while held by Hamas.

The videos also highlight the grim conditions in Gaza, where UN-appointed experts have warned that a famine is unfolding. Aid agencies say Israel’s severe restrictions on humanitarian access, combined with looting and chaos on the ground, have made it nearly impossible for relief to reach many civilians — or the hostages.

Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to deliver food to the hostages. In response, Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said it would permit Red Cross access only if Israel agreed to open “humanitarian corridors” for food and aid throughout the Gaza Strip.

The group denied intentionally starving the hostages, saying they would not receive preferential treatment while the civilian population suffers.
“They will not get special food amid the crime of starvation and siege,” the statement read.

Over the past week, Hamas and allied group Islamic Jihad released three videos showing the condition of hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack that launched the ongoing conflict. The harrowing footage has intensified public pressure within Israel for a ceasefire and a deal to secure the hostages’ release.

The upcoming UN session is expected to feature heated debate over the broader humanitarian crisis, including Israel’s responsibility for aid access and Hamas’s treatment of prisoners — as famine looms and tensions continue to rise.