April 5, 2024
Thank you, Madam President.
On Sunday, it will be six months since the outbreak of this horrific chapter in the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Six months of heartache and grief for the families and friends of those killed and taken hostage in the grisly attacks of 7 October.
And six months of unfathomable death, destruction, deprivation, trauma and suffering for the people of Gaza.
Six months that calls our collective humanity, and priorities, into question.
In Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health, more than 32,000 people have been killed, and more than 75,000 have been injured. At least two-thirds of these casualties are women and children.
And thousands more are missing, many of them buried beneath the rubble.
And 17,000 children are now unaccompanied or separated from their parents or families, alone amidst the destruction and horror.
1.7 million people – or 75 per cent of the population – have been forcibly displaced. For many of them, time and time again, forced into tents, overcrowded shelters or even on the streets, lacking the most basic necessities for dignified life and survival. Some 60 per cent of housing has now been damaged or destroyed.
So it’s clear there is no protection of civilians in Gaza. And if they have no protection from the dangers of armed conflict there, they must be allowed to seek it elsewhere. Some Palestinians in Gaza have already left through Egypt, and we know more are trying. It is vital to recall that any persons displaced from Gaza must be guaranteed the right to voluntarily return, as international law demands.
Madam President,
I come now to the events of last week, which laid bare the clear evidence of the unconscionable brutality of this conflict.
Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations, as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups, have continued across much of the Gaza Strip, causing hundreds more dead and injured. The prospect of a military operation on Rafah continues. As we all know, the consequences would be incomprehensible.
On 1 April, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the besieged Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza city revealed a hospital, and many buildings in the surrounding residential area, almost entirely destroyed. The UN and partners only reached the facility today, after repeated requests were denied, to help triage remaining patients and assess needs on the ground. Al Shifa was the largest hospital in Gaza, formerly serving more 250,000 people. The loss to a health system already in tatters, amid skyrocketing health needs, is incalculable.
And then, on the same day, we saw seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in multiple Israeli airstrikes on their convoy. These workers had just unloaded more than 100 tons of much-needed lifesaving humanitarian supplies from the second World Central Kitchen maritime aid shipment to a warehouse in Deir al Balah. They had informed the Israeli army of their movements.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these courageous, selfless people, who were there to help their fellow human beings in their time of need.
Sadly, we cannot say that this tragic attack was an isolated incident in this conflict. They join more than 220 of our humanitarian colleagues who have been killed, 179 of them UN personnel, including many along with their families.
I echo the Secretary-General’s deep concern about clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing. Allegations of serious violations must be investigated and the suspects prosecuted.
And all Member States can and must use their leverage to prevent and stop violations of international humanitarian law – through diplomatic and economic pressure, conditioning arms exports on compliance with the rules of war, and cooperation in combating impunity.
Madam President,
The incident on 1 April was not just a tragedy for the World Central Kitchen aid workers that were killed, and their family and friends. It was also a tragedy for the people of Gaza.
The undeniable lack of protection for aid missions has forced World Central Kitchen and at least one other aid organization – the NGO “ANERA” – to suspend their operations. Both organizations provide hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza with food each week. It is unclear when their work will resume.
So this comes amidst an unprecedented food insecurity crisis in Gaza that is teetering on the edge of famine, if it hasn’t already fallen into it.
Across Gaza, food and safe water are increasingly scarce. And practically the entire population of Gaza is relying on woefully inadequate food assistance to survive.
Diseases are rife, contributing to a surge in acute malnutrition, particularly among women and children.
In northern Gaza, UNICEF reports that one in six children are acutely malnourished, with an estimated 3 per cent facing the most severe forms of wasting, requiring immediate treatment.
At least 31 people, including 28 children, are believed to have starved to death in recent weeks.
It is a situation that requires concerted action right now – waiting for a retrospective famine classification is entirely indefensible.
Madam President,
Despite the dangers, aid workers continue efforts to deliver assistance to people across Gaza through all available means.
This includes the distribution of food, water, medical items, non-food items, fuel and medical evacuations.
Last week, the UN and its partners reached a daily average of 550,000 people with food assistance, although we were only able to get 4 per cent of this to Gaza city and northern Gaza.
UNRWA [the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] continues to run seven healthcare centres, which provide 23,000 consultations every day, and have administered 53,000 vaccines since the start of the war.
But it cannot be repeated enough that the scale and extent of the assistance we are able to get to people in Gaza is wholly insufficient.
The primary obstacle, however aid is brought in, is our ability to distribute it within Gaza, particularly to the north.
And a serious limiting factor is that UNRWA – the backbone of the humanitarian response – has not been allowed to operate in the north of Gaza.
If we are to stave off famine and address the unconscionably catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, UNRWA – and indeed all impartial humanitarian organizations – must have safe, rapid, unimpeded access to all civilians in need. There is simply no replacement for the services that UNRWA provides.
Madam President,
One of the cruel tragedies of Sunday’s unwanted milestone, is that it does not mark an end to the death, destruction and human suffering of the past six months.
It does not bring an end to the ordeal of those still held hostage, and the torment for their families.
And this is despite clear obligations under international humanitarian law.
And despite the provisional order of the International Court of Justice requiring Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, the unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.
And despite this Council recognizing the need to expand the flow of aid into Gaza and within Gaza.
And despite this Council’s resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan.
This tragedy cannot be allowed to continue.
All hostages must be immediately released and treated humanely until they are.
And likewise, the people of Gaza need full compliance with international humanitarian law and with the ICJ’s orders.
They need compliance with the decisions of this Council, and they need most of all this devastating war to end.
Thank you.