February 25, 2025
Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag and Daniel Levy, for your briefings.
And the United States wants to especially thank Noa Argamani for coming here today, to provide such compelling testimony to the depravity of Hamas, and what you endured. The United States stands with you and with all hostages. And we join other members of this Council, who have expressed condolences, for those who lost loved ones, and to demand the release of those still in captivity, including your partner.
At the outset, it is important to note that the United States continues our work with Qatar and Egypt to ensure full implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The depth of Hamas’ cruelty knows no ends, and we are appalled and horrified by their desecration of the remains of Shiri Bibas.
This is a gruesome scene, and we join the people of Israel in mourning the loss of several members of the Bibas family.
Kfir was not even a year old when he was taken, along with his four-year old brother Ariel. They were cruelly murdered by Hamas.
We also mourn the loss of Oded Lifshitz – a lifelong peace activist whose remains were also returned to Israel. The only solace is that their remains can be returned to their families for a proper burial.
Despite the squalid conditions in which he was held – we are glad that American citizen
Sagui Dekel Chen was released after nearly 500 days in captivity.
That said, we must never forget the lives taken as a result of the brutal Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, and the horrors endured by countless innocent people in the war that followed as a result of Hamas’ actions.
Hamas still holds 63 hostages, including New Jersey native Idan Alexander and the remains of four Americans murdered by Hamas in Gaza.
The taking of hostages is a despicable, criminal act. All hostages must be released now.
Mr. President, as President Trump has made clear, the future of Gaza must look different. We cannot rely on the tired ideas of the past and expect better results.
Bold thinking is needed to avoid ending up in the exact same place – death, destruction, and instability – which is untenable for Israelis, Palestinians, and the region.
We have seen Hamas cynically weaponize the suffering of Palestinians by using civilian infrastructure to store caches of weapons, house fighters, and coordinate attacks.
As long as Hamas stands as a force that can govern, or as a force that can administer, or as a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible. Hamas must be eliminated. It must be eradicated.
Any plan for reconstruction in Gaza must ensure Hamas is fully removed from power and held accountable for its October 7 terrorist massacre.
We look forward to a plan from our Arab partners on the future of Gaza that reflects this vision.
Mr. President, as Israel continues to balance its safety and security requirements, we recognize its efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
We urge countries to support this effort through additional funding to scale-up much needed aid.
The United States reiterates: UNRWA is not, and never has been, the only option for providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
UNRWA’s work had been tainted, and its credibility called into question, due to the terrorist ties of its staff that were exposed during the October 7 attack.
It was Israel’s sovereign decision to close UNRWA’s offices in Jerusalem based on conditions on the ground.
Other UN agencies can and have done this work, with appropriate safeguards to ensure assistance is not diverted, looted, or misused by terrorist groups.
Turning to the wider region, Mr. President, we must acknowledge the Middle East continues to suffer from the nefarious influence of Iran, which continues to sow chaos.
Behind every terrorist group like Hamas, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home, is Iran.
The United States will not allow Iran to manufacture or acquire nuclear weapons – through which, the regime would seek to render itself immune from external pressure. As the result of the ceasefire, the countries of the Middle East have an historic opportunity to reshape their region in a way that affords its people a better path forward.
An expansion of the Abraham Accords can lead to greater regional integration between Israel and its neighbors as a unified bloc to counter Iran and its state-sponsorship of terror in Gaza, the West Bank, and throughout the region.
The United States will do its part to create a more prosperous future for all of the region’s people.
I thank you.