January 3, 2025
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the United States, I congratulate Algeria on your Presidency, and extend a warm welcome, as you did Mr. President, to the new members: Denmark, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia.
Thank you, High Commissioner Türk, Representative Peeperkorn, and Dr. Haj-Hassan for your powerful briefings.
Colleagues, throughout this conflict, Hamas has repeatedly misused civilian infrastructure, like schools and hospitals, to store caches of weapons, house fighters, and coordinate attacks against Israel.
Hamas continues – day in and day out – to put civilians in harm’s way through their tactics and use of these facilities. I urge colleagues in this room to criticize Hamas for these actions and call them out for continuing to put Palestinian civilians in Gaza in the crosshairs. Far too many still cannot bring themselves to do so.
Israel’s fight is with Hamas and not the Palestinian civilians the terrorist group falsely purports to represent. According to the Israel Defense Forces, over 240 fighters were apprehended at the Kamal Adwan hospital, including 15 individuals who participated in the October 7 massacre.
Even as it battles Hamas, Israel has a moral imperative to prevent civilian harm. We don’t want to see hospitals as scenes of violence. No one benefits – least of all the civilians who neither started this conflict nor have the means to end it – and desperately need medical attention. Civilians cannot be left without functioning hospitals or adequate medical care.
It is vital for Israel comply with international humanitarian law and to take every possible step to prevent civilian harm, notably as it relates to patients receiving care at Kamal Adwan hospital and medical professionals dedicated to treating the population.
And with regards to reports about the Director of Kamal Adwan hospital, we in the United States government are in contact with the Israeli government, and partners on the ground, and are gathering information.
Colleagues, far too many civilians in Gaza are hungry, without medication, clean drinking water, or adequate housing.
Secretary Blinken has repeatedly emphasized: We need to end the conflict, bring all of the hostages home, including the seven Americans held by Hamas, and chart a path forward in the post-conflict period that provides governance, security, and reconstruction in Gaza.
We must also immediately surge humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians throughout Gaza, or many will not survive the rest of the winter. And we have made clear to Israel that they must do more to address these preventable humanitarian shortfalls.
We have been explicit about the specific steps we need to see Israel take; including surging the entry of food, medicine, and other essential supplies into Gaza knowing that winter is here.
There must be no forcible displacement, nor policy of starvation in Gaza – which would have grave implications under both U.S. and international law.
We need to see a surge in humanitarian aid delivered immediately. Only a sustained flow of assistance, food, clean water, medical supplies into Gaza will bring relief and address catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
Colleagues, the work before us to forge a ceasefire remains difficult. The challenge of helping a revitalized Palestinian Authority rebuild Gaza without Hamas is immense.
And yet, we first need to address the immediacy of the humanitarian situation. Because lives are at stake — the lives of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the lives of the hostages who have suffered mightily since Hamas initiated this horrific conflict on October 7.
We need to give Palestinians a future to look forward to with self-determination, dignity, and security.
We need Israel to feel secure within its own borders.
The United States continues to push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal that allows for a surge in life-saving assistance to Palestinian civilians. There are simply no alternatives that lead to durable peace and regional calm.
Thank you.