Syria's permanent Envoy to the United Nations in Geneva Faisal al- Hamwi on Thursday called the international community to strongly condemn Israel in response to its aggression and crimes in Gaza and to force it to lift the siege imposed on the strip.

"Israel, through committing those crimes and aggressions, proves that it has a deliberate desire to foil international efforts to activate the peace process in the region and obstruct the establishment of a Palestinian independent state," al-Hamwi said in a statement on behalf of Islamic and Arab groups in Geneva during an extraordinary session for Human Rights Council to discuss Israeli violations of human rights.

He called the Human Rights Council to send a clear message to Israeli occupation forces to immediately stop their criminal aggressions and their attempts to choke the Palestinian people and prevent food and water from reaching them.