The United Nations Security Council has warned that Israel's military operations are pushing the Palestinian healthcare system to the brink of collapse, during its first meeting in 2025, as the Gaza Strip's hospitals are overwhelmed with a surge in casualties.
The Security Council -- including its new members for the current term -- held its first meeting of 2025 on Friday, focusing on the conflict in Gaza and attacks on its health facilities.
The Council was informed that "a human rights catastrophe continues to unfold in front of the world," and that Israel's justifications for its operations are often vague and contradicted by reports.
Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, provided devastating details on the situation in Gaza, saying that Israel's actions raise concerns about whether international law is being violated.
Turk told the meeting that Israel had conducted 136 strikes on 27 hospitals and said that healthcare staff were being subjected to arrests, harassment and interrogations.
"The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount, and must be respected by all sides, at all times. The destruction of hospitals across Gaza, goes beyond depriving Palestinians of their right to access adequate healthcare," he said.
Israel's claim that Hamas uses hospitals improperly and as a base for military operations was often "vague, broad, and contradicted by public reports," according to Turk.
The meeting follows a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza in recent days. It is reported that the hospital's director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, was arrested and has not been seen since.
Israel said the director has been detained, saying he is suspected of "potential involvement in terrorist activity."
China's Permanent Representative Fu Cong said that as the world was counting down to the New Year, people in Gaza were counting down to the next bombing.
"We urge Israel to strictly abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, stop turning hospitals into battlefields, stop attacking medical facilities, ensure the safety of medical institutions and medical personnel, and release all detained medical personnel," he said.
The meeting comes as a delegation from Israel is expected to arrive in Qatar to continue negotiations for a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
UN Security Council warns of continuing "human rights catastrophe" in Gaza
UN Security Council warns of continuing "human rights catastrophe" in Gaza
The universal "reciprocal tariffs" imposed by the United States signals a decline in the U.S. economic dominance and dollar hegemony, as the country is attempting to extract excessive financial benefits from its trading partners, according to economists, who warn the Trump administration is playing a "dangerous game".
U.S. President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" before unveiling higher rates on certain trading partners. The policy sent shockwaves throughout the global economy and triggered panic on financial markets, with analysts warning of significant risks and dire economic consequences.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Hong Hao, chief economist of the GROW Investment Group, a Shanghai-based hedge fund, said the tariffs reflect Trump's strategy to extract economic benefits from trading partners, particularly viewing China as a significant competitor. "Trump really believes that the trade terms with the trading partners have been unfair to the U.S., and as a result, the U.S. manufacturing sector has been hollowed out. Therefore, the U.S. is paying an excessive price for globalization, and now, it's time to pay back. I think, from this angle, he is trying to extract economic rent from its trading partners, and also he is trying to see China as one of the major U.S. rivals at this juncture. So, I think, as a result, he is playing a very dangerous game. And, as you can see, it's political theater in the sense that he is trying to dramatize the extreme pressure, so that he can get excessive rent from the opponent," he said
Trump's unilateral imposition of tariffs has eroded global confidence in the U.S. and its dollar's status, leading many to state that the American hegemony may not persist, according to Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University.
"The U.S. economy is at an inflection point. There is a moment where the previous strategies being used to sustain American hegemony were no longer working. And, it's only a matter of time before the U.S. position erodes, given the fact that it's been a house of cards built on the dollar supremacy. And a lot of people don't see that as having a brighter future. This has moved past the theater stage and has moved really directly into one in which no one really has confidence in the U.S. anymore. No one has confidence in the dollar. No one has confidence in the U.S. being committed to the multilateral system, to global trade and so forth and so on," he said.
Trump playing "dangerous game" as tariff measures signal decline in U.S. dollar hegemony: economists
