Watch: Security Council’s 9694th meeting on the humanitarian situation in Gaza

26 July 2024

Press Release

The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question – Security Council, 9694th meeting.

The Security Council met today (26 Jul) to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the legislation in the Israeli Knesset concerning the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Antonia Marie de Meo, the Deputy Commissioner General of UNRWA, noted the ongoing review by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) of the allegations made against UNRWA.

De Meo said UNRWA is targeted because of its role in safeguarding Palestinian refugees.

She said that UNRWA must continue to provide services until a credible solution for Israel and Palestine is at hand.

She warned that the bills before the Knesset on UNRWA make “a travesty of the multilateral responsibilities of Member States. They erode the very foundations of international law and multilateral norms.”

If these bills pass, she said, they will put all UNRWA staff and the Agency’s General Assembly mandate in direct danger.

Muhannad Hadi, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator dealing with the Palestinian territories, said that UNRWA has been shouldering the burden of this crisis.

The campaign against UNRWA, attacks against its premises, and legislative efforts to declare UNRWA a terrorist organization to end its operations are “utterly unacceptable and endanger our operations,” he said.

He reiterated, “The United Nations and our partners in Gaza, will never give up. We will continue to provide desperately needed assistance. But we need a safe enabling environment to do so.”

Also addressing the Council, Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, said, “Humanitarians in Palestine are trying to deliver on their noble mission in impossible circumstances and at the peril of their life. Our support should match their courage. UNRWA remains under attack. The baseless and shameless terrorism charge against a UN humanitarian agency are no longer a talking point but a license to kill.”

Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, said, “Where is the meeting demanding the return of our hostages? Without their immediate and unconditional release, there is no hope for peace and security. When the brutalities of Iran and its proxies are dismissed, Israel must take its future into its own hands. We will continue to carry out the necessary operations to defeat Hamas, along with anyone who attack attacks our citizens.”

Screenshot Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe