New York | September 22, 2025
Israel has confirmed it will not participate in Tuesday’s emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on the Gaza conflict, citing its coincidence with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
In a letter to the Council’s rotating president, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Danny Danon, said the decision followed the refusal of requests to reschedule the meeting.
He described the timing as “regrettable” and stressed that Israel, as a country directly affected by the deliberations, had been prepared to address the Council.
The meeting comes as Israeli forces intensify ground operations in Gaza City, where smoke was seen rising over urban neighbourhoods on Monday.
Thousands of Palestinians were reported fleeing southward with their belongings amid the ongoing offensive.
The session forms part of the Security Council’s high-level week discussions, with member states set to debate the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the prospects for de-escalation.
