<\/p>\n
13 May 2025<\/p>\n
9914th Meeting (PM)<\/p>\n
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ top humanitarian official, briefing the Security Council today on the grim reality across the Gaza Strip, asked those present to reflect on what they will tell future generations when asked what they did to stop the \u201ctwenty-first-century atrocity\u201d unfolding daily before the eyes of the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael is deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,\u201d stated Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator<\/strong>.\u00a0 Nothing has entered Gaza for more than 10 weeks, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced and the 2.1\u00a0million Palestinians in the Strip face the risk of famine.\u00a0 Also reporting that the few hospitals that have somehow survived bombardment are overwhelmed, he said:\u00a0 \u201cI can tell you, from having visited what\u2019s left of Gaza\u2019s medical system, that death on this scale has a sound and a smell that does not leave you.\u201d<\/p>\n He underscored that humanitarians have a single ask for the Council:\u00a0 \u201cLet us work.\u201d\u00a0 The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and its partners are \u201cdesperate\u201d to resume aid across Gaza at scale, he stressed, adding \u201cwe have a plan\u201d, \u201cwe have shown we can deliver\u201d and \u201cwe have life-saving supplies ready at the borders\u201d.\u00a0 And, while he pointed out that \u201crigorous\u201d mechanisms are in place to ensure aid gets to civilians \u2014 not Hamas \u2014 he said:\u00a0 \u201cIsrael denies us access, placing their objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians.\u201d\u00a0 Further, he stressed that the recently proposed, Israeli-designed distribution modality \u201cis not the answer\u201d; rather, it \u201cmakes starvation a bargaining chip\u201d and constitutes \u201ca fig leaf for further violence and displacement\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is, I fear, a broader context here,\u201d he observed, noting that Palestinian journalists, civil society and individuals have \u201clive-streamed their destruction to the world\u201d for the past 19 months.\u00a0 During this time, aid workers have been the only international civilian presence in Gaza.\u00a0 \u201cWe are your eyes and ears,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Recalling briefings to the Council on the deliberate obstruction of aid operations and the systematic dismantling of Palestinian life in Gaza, he said that, while the International Court of Justice will weigh such testimony when it considers whether a genocide is occurring in Gaza, \u201cit will be too late\u201d.<\/p>\n Stating that this degradation of international law is \u201ccorrosive and infectious\u201d, he called on the Council to demand an end to it and insist on accountability; on Israel to stop killing civilians and lift the brutal blockade; and on Hamas and other armed groups to release all hostages immediately and cease putting civilians at risk during military operations.\u00a0 \u201cFor those who will not survive what we fear is coming \u2014 in plain sight \u2014 it will be no consolation to know that future generations will hold us in this Chamber to account,\u201d he observed, underscoring:\u00a0\u201cBut they will.\u201d<\/p>\n Ang\u00e9lica J\u00e1come, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office with the United Nations<\/strong>, then highlighted the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, which confirms that the entire population of the Gaza Strip remains at critical risk of famine. \u00a0She reminded delegates that, \u201cby the time famine has been declared, people are already dying of hunger with irreversible consequences that will last generations\u201d. \u00a0One out of five people in Gaza, she added, are facing food insecurity classified as \u201ccatastrophe\u201d.\u00a0 Prior to 7\u00a0October\u00a02023, the Strip had low rates of malnutrition due to a diverse and affordable food supply.<\/p>\n But agrifood systems have collapsed, she reported \u2014 nearly 75\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the cropland has been damaged or destroyed, and almost 95\u00a0per\u00a0cent of cattle, and more than half of sheep and goat herds, are dead. \u00a0\u201cThe price of wheat flour has increased by 3,000\u00a0per\u00a0cent since February\u00a02025,\u201d she added, noting that people in Gaza are not only experiencing a lack of food \u2014 \u201cthey are going through a profound breakdown of health, livelihoods and social structures\u201d.\u00a0 She underscored:\u00a0 \u201cThis crisis is preventable:\u00a0 food, food-production kits, medicine, water and hygiene kits are waiting to be delivered across the border.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet, as the floor opened, the representative of Algeria<\/strong> pointed out that \u201cthe only thing allowed entry into Gaza is death\u201d, as bombs and gunfire pass freely while babies are denied milk. \u00a0And the world, it seems, has grown accustomed to this catastrophe, as if the images of parents gathering their children\u2019s body parts are meaningless. \u00a0Stating that the international community now stands at a \u201ccrossroads between morality and special interests\u201d \u2014 and faces not a crisis of resources, but a \u201ccrisis of conscience\u201d \u2014 he called on the Council to \u201clisten to the cries of Gaza as it is suffocating under the rubble\u201d.<\/p>\n The representative of Denmark<\/strong> \u2014 whose delegation called for today\u2019s meeting, along with the Council\u2019s other European members \u2014 joined others in pointing out that \u201cfood is rotting at the border while the people of Gaza are starving\u201d, and medical supplies wait undelivered while the sick and wounded suffer and die. \u00a0Recalling that the Israeli Government recently announced a new aid-distribution mechanism, she noted that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has decided not to participate in this modality. \u00a0\u201cDenmark supports the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s position,\u201d she stated, stressing that people in Gaza do not need a new aid mechanism \u2014 \u201cthey need aid to flow freely\u201d.<\/p>\n Similarly, the representative of the United Kingdom<\/strong> \u2014 underlining the tons of food currently \u201crotting at the border, blocked from reaching people who are starving\u201d \u2014 said:\u00a0 \u201cThis is cruel and inexcusable.\u201d \u00a0She, too, opposed any aid mechanism seeking to deliver political or military objectives. \u00a0France\u2019s representative also opposed the humanitarian-assistance mechanism proposed by Israel, emphasizing that the modalities planned within run counter to international law. \u00a0Condemning the planned expansion of Israeli activities in Gaza, he stressed:\u00a0\u201cSerious violations of international law will not help Israeli security in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n Going further, the representative of Slovenia<\/strong> stated that this war, and the lack of an appropriate reaction to it, could change the way future wars are fought. \u00a0\u201cWars have rules, and Gaza is no exception,\u201d he underscored, also rejecting the humanitarian-aid model recently outlined by Israel, as it does not \u201cmeet the minimum bar for principled humanitarian support\u201d. \u00a0For his part, the representative of Greece<\/strong>, Council President for May, spoke in his national capacity to urge the safe, unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as restored access to electricity and water.<\/p>\n The international community should not allow established international legal and humanitarian norms to be upended by proposals that do not satisfy humanitarian principles, urged Guyana\u2019s representative<\/strong>. \u00a0\u201cPalestinians cannot simply be condemned to a fate of starvation, malnutrition and disease in the interest of advancing military objectives,\u201d she underscored. \u00a0Concurring was Somalia\u2019s representative, who stressed that \u201chumanitarian assistance must never be politicized\u201d and rejected \u201cthe proposal reportedly put forward by Israel to impose a unilateral mechanism for the distribution of aid in Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n Through such proposal, said the representative of the Russian Federation<\/strong>, \u201cthe Israeli leadership is essentially calling on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to become an accomplice in its own military operation and, thus, endanger the neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian activity\u201d. \u00a0China\u2019s representative<\/strong>, for his part, underlined the need to uphold the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality in the distribution of aid. \u00a0\u201cHumanitarian access is not a favour \u2014 it is a legal obligation,\u201d stressed the representative of Pakistan<\/strong>, stating that the normalization of starvation as a weapon of war is a crime.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one wants to see Palestinian civilians in Gaza go hungry and thirsty,\u201d said the representative of the United States<\/strong>, voicing support for aid delivery to non-combatants in Gaza \u201cin a way that does not allow Hamas to benefit\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cThere is now a means through which this can be done,\u201d she noted, referring to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which she said \u201cis an independent entity that has been established to provide a secure mechanism capable of delivering aid directly to those in need, without Hamas stealing, looting or leveraging this assistance for its own ends\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot ignore the fact that much of the suffering currently being experienced by the Palestinian population in Gaza has its origin in the extremist decisions and actions taken by Hamas,\u201d said Panama\u2019s representative<\/strong>. \u00a0Joining others in welcoming the recent release of Edan Alexander, he called for the freeing of those still being held in Gaza. \u00a0Nevertheless, while recalling Israel\u2019s claim that it was fighting against Hamas \u2014 not against civilians \u2014 the representative of the Republic of Korea<\/strong> said:\u00a0\u201cThe undeniable fact is that women and children account for well over half of the more than 50,000 fatalities.\u201d<\/p>\n Noting Israel\u2019s status as an occupying Power, the representative of Sierra Leone<\/strong> pointed out that international law places on that State the primary responsibility for the safety and well-being of the civilian population under its effective control. \u00a0This includes the obligation to facilitate humanitarian relief, safeguard civilian infrastructure and uphold the principle of non-discrimination in aid provision. \u00a0\u201cThe provision of military assistance without adequate regard for humanitarian law may amount to the facilitation of violations,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n For his part, the observer of the State of Palestine<\/strong> quoted a recent statement by Israel\u2019s Prime Minister to the Knesset:\u00a0 \u201cWe are destroying more and more homes. \u00a0They have nowhere to return to. \u00a0The only inevitable outcome will be the wish of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip.\u201d \u00a0This is the destruction of a people by death, displacement and endless atrocities, he underscored, adding:\u00a0 \u201cThe Israeli plan for the so-called \u2018distribution of humanitarian aid\u2019 continues pursuing these same illegal objectives by other means.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Israel\u2019s representative<\/strong> \u2014 after welcoming the release of Edan Alexander \u2014 recalled a former hostage\u2019s testimony that \u201cterrorists ate like kings\u201d while hostages starved. \u00a0Israel, he underscored, will not allow food, fuel and funds to be funnelled into the Hamas terror machine. \u00a0While Israel has worked with international partners to get aid to those who need it, he said that \u201cmisinformation continues\u201d and added that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and its Secretary-General dismissed the proposal for a new humanitarian-aid mechanism before it was even finalized or made public.<\/p>\n Last to take the floor, the representative of the United Arab Emirates<\/strong>, speaking for the Arab Group<\/strong>, said that the humanitarian mechanism proposed by Israel \u2014 which aims to compel the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and other organizations to use only five designated points to enter and distribute aid \u2014 \u201cclearly demonstrates [that country\u2019s] intent to manipulate humanitarian assistance as an instrument of political and military control\u201d. \u00a0Israel must allow immediate and full entry of humanitarian aid, open all crossings and fulfil its responsibilities as an occupying Power, he underscored.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 13 May 2025 9914th Meeting (PM) Suffering Experienced by Palestinian Population Has Its Origin in Extremist Decisions, Actions Taken by Hamas, Says Delegate Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ top humanitarian official, briefing the Security Council today on the grim reality across the Gaza Strip, asked those present to reflect on what they will tell future generations 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