Pro-Palestinian protesters denounce G7 connivance for Israel's "genocide in Gaza"

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered to condemn the G7's connivance for Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip as foreign ministers from the world's leading industrialized nations concluded their two-day meeting on Tuesday in Italy's central city of Fiuggi and Anagni.

They held high the banners like "stop bombing Palestine now" and denounced the G7 members -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- for being accomplices of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protest came as a new round of Israel-Hamas conflict has killed over 44,000 Palestinians over the past 13 months since it broke out on October 7, 2023.

"The G7 is an organization of Western countries. It has been undermining the legitimacy of the United Nations. We are protesting against this here. The G7 meeting brings together countries such as the United States. These countries support Israel and Netanyahu in committing genocide now in the Gaza Strip," said Maurizio Acerbo, secretary of the Communist Refoundation Party.

"We don't want to see the killings and sufferings of children. We don't want to hear lies anymore. We hope they will take action and save lives immediately," said another protester.

While the G7 meeting was dominated Monday by the Middle East conflicts, attention turned to Ukraine on Tuesday. The G7 has been at the forefront of providing military and economic support for Ukraine.

Pro-Palestinian protesters denounce G7 connivance for Israel's "genocide in Gaza"

Pro-Palestinian protesters denounce G7 connivance for Israel's "genocide in Gaza"

Pro-Palestinian protesters denounce G7 connivance for Israel's "genocide in Gaza"

United Nations (UN) officials on Tuesday called for action to protect humanitarian workers who are facing escalating security challenges, during an open meeting held by the UN Security Council on safeguarding humanitarian workers and UN personnel.

In her briefing, Lisa Doughten, Director of the Financing and Partnerships Division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), highlighted that over the years, numerous UN and humanitarian workers have tragically lost colleagues and friends -- people who dedicated their lives to aiding those in times of need.

She stressed that the past two years have been particularly devastating due to the increasing dangers faced by aid workers in conflict zones and humanitarian crises worldwide.

"In 2023, we lost 280 aid workers across 20 countries, according to the Aid Worker Security database. This is a shocking 137-percent increase from 2022," Doughten said.

Doughten urged the Security Council and UN member states to unequivocally condemn attacks on humanitarian workers and cease transferring weapons to violators of international law.

In addition, Gilles Michaud, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, highlighted the escalating security challenges faced by UN and humanitarian workers at the meeting.

He called for action to safeguard those dedicated to aiding the world's most vulnerable populations.

"We need collective action to protect those who dedicate their lives to people in need. Their security is not just a moral obligation. It is essential to the success of the mandates entrusted to us, including by this Council," Michaud said.

UN officials call for action to protect humanitarian workers amid rising security challenges