Displaced Gazans Doubt UN General Assembly Will Deliver Change

Displaced Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City say they hold out little expectation that the United Nations General Assembly will bring meaningful change to their lives, even as they appeal for urgent action.

Rami Al Bowboa, whose home was destroyed in the war and who now lives with his family in a tent, said the assembly and the United Nations command respect but must act to halt the bombing. He called for an enforced ceasefire and for food and water to be allowed into the enclave.

"Our situation in the Gaza Strip is tragic," he said. "We are all living among the rubble. The walls have collapsed on us, the rats have bitten us, and everything has affected us." He added that families cannot even erect a sunshade for protection, and with winter approaching, he fears they will be overwhelmed.

Ahmed Lubad, displaced from the northern Gaza Strip, said he wanted the assembly to treat the Palestinian issue seriously, set clear boundaries and press Israel on the matters it raises. But he voiced doubt, describing past decisions as "ink on paper" and recalling a lifetime of resolutions that he said had gone against Arabs in particular.

He said the displaced are exhausted and have lost everything, and expressed hope that completely demolished homes would be rebuilt. "My house has been completely destroyed," he said.

Imad Dawas, also displaced from northern Gaza, compared the General Assembly meetings to Arab summit gatherings, saying they arrive with conditions, initiatives and proposals but nothing meaningful.

The annual high-level gathering in New York is expected to be dominated by wars in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the assembly on Thursday. For a second year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend because the United States has refused him a visa; he is expected to address the assembly by video the same day.

Under its agreement with the United Nations to host the organization, the United States is required to allow diplomats from all member nations to attend meetings.