United Nations, July 18 (RHC)-- The Palestinian envoy to the UN urges the world body to protect the Gaza Strip from the Israeli regime’s “lunatic prime minister,” on whose orders the coastal sliver has been suffering a genocidal war for the past nine months.   Riyad Mansour made the plea on Wednesday, addressing a monthly UN Security Council meeting.

“What will you do to ensure he (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) is not the one calling the shots? And here I'm talking to you, the Security Council. What are you going to do in order to stop this lunatic from continuing this genocidal war against the Palestinian people?" he asked.

At least 38,794 Palestinians have been killed and 89,364 others wounded in the war that the regime launched on October 7.

The brutal military onslaught came in response to a retaliatory operation staged by Gaza’s resistance movements, during which hundreds were taken captive.  Mansour asserted that Netanyahu did not care about the lives of either the Palestinians or those of the captives.  “He does not care about international law or human decency. He only cares about his own political survival,” he added.

Netanyahu is on trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.   Observers say prolongation of the war would help shift the focus away from the embattled premier and help him avoid the repercussions of the legal proceedings.

The Israeli official has, meanwhile, been accused of sabotaging ongoing Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire deal.   Speaking on Sunday, a senior official with the Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas said Netanyahu was undermining the negotiations.