The world must “call a spade a spade” and admit that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip have violated international laws, Indonesia’s top diplomat said during a day-long debate in New York, on the unceasing violence between Tel Aviv and Gaza’s ruling militant group, Hamas.

Efforts must go beyond scoring a short-lived cease-fire, said Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi at a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, New York time, following her tour last week to four permanent members of the UN Security Council to make a similar appeal.

She demanded a guarantee for unhindered humanitarian assistance, a permanent cease-fire, Israel’s accountability and the renewal of the Palestine-Israel peace process.

Dozens of diplomats from across the globe convened at the UNGA on Tuesday to discuss the Middle Eastern conflict, which started on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched a surprise assault against Israel, and was responded to with a massive reprise by Tel Aviv.

The meeting came amid persistent divisions between countries calling for a permanent cease-fire and those siding with Israel, as well as the newest reports on the casualties in the Gaza Strip.

Retno, who last week traveled to Beijing, Moscow, London and Paris with a band of foreign ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to demand a stronger international call against Israel and unhindered access for humanitarian aid, hammered the message once again at the UNGA.

“Can I ask, is what Israel is doing consistent with international law? Is it consistent with international humanitarian law?” she said in her speech. “We must call a spade a spade. What has taken place in Gaza are clear violations of international humanitarian law and the failure to act may equal complicity.”

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