The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is scheduled to convene an emergency meeting on Monday in response to a request from the UAE, representing the Arab nations in the Council. The UAE has sought a binding resolution that calls on Israel to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
The UAE made the request on Saturday in light of Israel “expanding ground operations” in the Gaza Strip.

Shahad Matar, the UAE’s spokesperson to the UN, posted about the request on X.

“UAE has requested an emergency UNSC meeting to be convened as soon as possible in light of Israel’s announcement that it is ‘expanding ground operations’ in Gaza,” she wrote.
The UAE is a non-permanent member of the Security Counsil for 2022-2023.

An hour after Israel launched its intense ground operation in Gaza on Friday, the UN general assembly voted 122 to 14 with 55 countries abstaining, for a humanitarian pause in Gaza.

While the UNSC resolutions are legally binding, the UN general assembly resolutions are not – they merely reflect the stance of different nations.

Protection of Civilians
In its statement seeking an emergency security council meeting, the UAE’s ministry of foreign affairs underlined “the importance of the protection of civilians, according to international humanitarian law, international treaties for the protection of civilians and human rights, and the need to ensure that they are not targeted during conflict.”

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli ground operations early Saturday in Gaza and voiced “deep concern over the Israeli military escalation.”

Israeli forces waged ground operations against Hamas in Gaza on Sunday in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the second phase of a three-week-old war aimed at crushing the Palestinian militant group.