{"id":290639,"date":"2023-11-10T09:01:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T14:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=290639"},"modified":"2023-11-15T09:02:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T14:02:13","slug":"world-health-organization-chief-briefing-security-council-on-war-in-gaza-joins-calls-for-immediate-ceasefire-unfettered-humanitarian-access-news-item","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/world-health-organization-chief-briefing-security-council-on-war-in-gaza-joins-calls-for-immediate-ceasefire-unfettered-humanitarian-access-news-item\/","title":{"rendered":"World Health Organization Chief, Briefing Security Council on War in Gaza, Joins Calls for Immediate Ceasefire, Unfettered Humanitarian Access – News Item"},"content":{"rendered":"
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9472ND MEETING (PM)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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SC\/15487<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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10 NOVEMBER 2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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One Child Killed Every Minute; Risk of Disease Growing; \u2018Nowhere is Safe\u2019<\/h4>\n

Describing a health system that is on the verge of collapse, the head of the United Nations health agency urged the Security Council today to secure an immediate ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access in Gaza where \u201cnowhere and no one is safe\u201d as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on.<\/p>\n

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization\u00a0(WHO) said that the situation is impossible to describe, with hospital corridors crammed with the injured, the sick and the dying, morgues overflowing, and surgical procedures conducted without anaesthesia.\u00a0Thousands of displaced people are sheltering at hospitals, with 70\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the more than 10,800 people so far killed being women and children. \u00a0\u201cOn average, a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

Some 1.5\u00a0million people now are displaced and looking for shelter anywhere, but \u201cnowhere and no one is safe\u201d and overcrowding is increasing the risk diarrheal and respiratory diseases and skin infections, he said.\u00a0WHO, which was part of the first aid convoy to enter Gaza through the Rafah Crossing on 21\u00a0October, has since delivered 63\u00a0metric tons of specialist medical equipment and supplies, but this does not address the scale of needs, he added.<\/p>\n

Since 7\u00a0October, WHO has verified more than 250 attacks on health-care facilities in Gaza and the West Bank, in addition to 25 attacks on similar sites facilities in Israel, he added.\u00a0 He called for unfettered access into Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, for Hamas to release its hostages and for Israel to restore electricity, water and fuel supplies.\u00a0 He also called for a ceasefire and for both sides to abide by international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n

Marwan Jilani, Director General of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, which is responsible for receiving and distributing humanitarian aid through the Rafah Crossing, said that not a single drop of fuel has entered \u2014 and without fuel or aid, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip, many people will starve or die of thirst and disease.\u00a0 The Council and the international community must ensure that an effective and immediate ceasefire is enforced, that fuel gets into Gaza immediately and that humanitarian aid is increased, with deliveries getting into northern Gaza, he said.<\/p>\n

The Council must also ensure respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in all parts of Gaza, he stated. \u00a0Moreover, it must ensure that hospitals get much-needed fuel, medicine and medical supplies, and that fresh medical teams be allowed to enter to relieve health workers who have been working tirelessly for the past 34 days.\u00a0 Council members must urgently do all they can to spare further deaths and suffering of civilians, he stressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere should Palestinians go?\u00a0 To the sea?\u00a0 Or out of the Gaza Strip?\u201d asked the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, at the start of the ensuing debate.\u00a0 Hospitals in Gaza have become Israel\u2019s primary target, he said, adding that while Israel calls for the release of 200 hostages, it has itself taken 2\u00a0million hostages \u2014 a reference to Gaza\u2019s population. \u00a0The only options that Israel has ever given the Palestinians is to submit, leave or die \u2014 or in international legal terms, apartheid, ethnic cleansing or genocide, he stated.<\/p>\n

Israel’s representative said that his country is providing safe passage for Gazans to exit an active war zone, but Hamas is preventing them from leaving. \u00a0Israel has also exposed to the world that Hamas has its headquarters in and under Al-Shifa Hospital, he added, stating that over 16 years, Hamas has turned every inch of Gaza into a \u201cterror trap\u201d, using medical workers and patients as human shields.\u00a0The\u00a0Government<\/a>\u00a0of Israel has gone above and beyond to mitigate civilian casualties, but Hamas must be held accountable, he said, emphasizing: \u00a0\u201cIsrael is fighting the war for its very future and existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among Council members, speakers were united in their concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and renewed their call for unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access. \u00a0They remained divided, however, on how the 15-member organ should respond \u2014 with some urging an immediate ceasefire, while others underlined the importance of humanitarian pauses.<\/p>\n

The United States\u2019 representative detailed how his country is working with Israel, Egypt and the United Nations to ensure the entry of food, fuel, water and medicines into Gaza, but acknowledged that the quantity is nowhere near enough. \u00a0Beginning today, Israel will enact four-hour pauses in its military operations in northern Gaza, to be announced three hours ahead, he said, adding that such pauses will also help in the context of the safe release of hostages.<\/p>\n

The Russian Federation\u2019s delegate noted his country\u2019s efforts, including an announcement by its Emergency Ministry on 10\u00a0November of the delivery of a fourth consignment of 25 tons of food and medicine to Egypt.\u00a0 However, the United States is obstructing peace initiatives, he said, emphasizing the importance of a ceasefire.\u00a0 \u201cOnly this, and not certain short-term pauses, is the only real measure that would help avoid new casualties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The representative of the United Arab Emirates, which requested today\u2019s meeting, said that Israel must end its siege of Gaza and reinstate essential services. \u00a0Its attacks will not bring security to that country, she added. \u00a0Sustained and multi-day humanitarian pauses or truces \u2014 which are fundamental for achieving the goal of a durable and sustained ceasefire \u2014 must be activated, she stated, emphasizing that the two-State solution must be the overarching goal for achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Briefings<\/u><\/p>\n

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS,\u00a0Director-General of the World Health Organization<\/u>\u00a0(WHO), said he fully understands the anger, grief and fear of the Israeli people following the barbaric attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on 7\u00a0October, as well as that of the people of Gaza who have already suffered 16\u00a0years of blockade and are now enduring the destruction of their families and homes.\u00a0 \u201cThe situation on the ground is impossible to describe.\u201d \u00a0Hospital corridors crammed with the injured, the sick and the dying, morgues are overflowing and surgical procedures are being conducted without anaesthesia. \u00a0Thousands of displaced people are sheltering at hospitals or crammed inside overcrowded schools, desperate for food and water.\u00a0 Seventy\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the more than 10,800 people have now been killed in Gaza are women and children, he said, adding: \u00a0\u201cOn average, a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that 1.5\u00a0million people are displaced and looking for shelter anywhere, but \u201cnowhere and no one is safe\u201d. \u00a0Overcrowding is increasing the risk diarrheal and respiratory diseases and skin infections. \u00a0WHO is on the ground in Gaza alongside its partners to support health workers doing their best in unimaginable conditions. \u00a0In addition to caring for 27,000 wounded people, many with life-threatening injuries, medical staff are trying to manage the regular health needs of more than 2\u00a0million people. \u00a0More than 180 women give birth in Gaza every day, he said, adding that there are also 9,000 patients in Gaza on cancer therapy and 350,000 with diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.<\/p>\n

Since 7\u00a0October, WHO has verified more than 250 attacks on health-care facilities in Gaza and the West Bank, in addition to 25 attacks on health-care facilities in Israel, he said. \u00a0Last week, WHO documented five attacks on five hospitals in one day. \u00a0In the past\u00a048 hours<\/a>\u00a0alone, four hospitals have been put out of action. \u00a0Half of the Gaza Strip\u2019s 36 hospitals and two thirds of its primary health-care centres are not functioning at all, while the others are operating way beyond their capacities. \u00a0\u201cThe health system is on its knees and yet somehow is continuing to deliver some life-saving care.\u201d \u00a0The best way to support those health workers and patients is to give them the tools they need \u2014 medicines, medical equipment and fuel for hospital generators, he said.<\/p>\n

WHO was part of the first aid convoy to enter Gaza through the Rafah Crossing on 21\u00a0October and has since delivered 63 metric tons of specialist medical equipment and supplies, but this does not address the scale of needs, he said.\u00a0 Before 7\u00a0October, an average of 500 trucks a day crossed into Gaza with essential supplies, but since 21\u00a0October, only 650 trucks have entered.\u00a0 He called for unfettered access to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, for Hamas to release hostages and for Israel to restore electricity, water and fuel supplies. \u00a0He also called for a ceasefire and for both sides to abide by international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n

MARWAN JILANI,\u00a0Director General, Palestine Red Crescent Society<\/u>, said that the health sector in Gaza is under attack.\u00a0 Hospitals are being deliberately targeted in a desperate attempt to force the civilian population out.\u00a0 The last 24\u00a0hours saw the targeting of at least four hospitals in Gaza: \u00a0Al-Shifa hospital, where more than 60,000 people were sheltering; Al-Awda hospital, where ambulances were bombarded and the emergency paramedics miraculously escaped certain death; the Indonesian hospital and the Al-Quds hospital.\u00a0 The situation with hospitals changing by the minute, he said, adding: \u00a0\u201cDisplaced people at the hospital are getting shot at, as we speak.\u201d\u00a0 He said that in a telephone call two hours earlier, colleagues at the Al-Quds hospital said that one person was killed and about 30 others injured by direct firing.\u00a0 \u201cThey are asking, \u2018What can they do? Where should they go?\u2019 Thousands of innocent lives are under imminent threat of being killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He urgently called on Council members, on behalf of the staff and volunteers besieged in Al-Quds hospital, to do all they can to spare further deaths and suffering.\u00a0 \u201cThe same disastrous situation surrounds all the hospitals in Gaza city and all those inside them.\u201d\u00a0 He reported that 14,000 displaced civilians are at Al-Quds hospital, in addition to 400 sick and wounded patients, and there is a serious risk that all intensive care patients, and children in incubators, will die as the main generator was shut off two days earlier due to lack of fuel.\u00a0 He said that he was prepared to tell the Council about critical shortages of fuel, food and water, but his concern now is the direct threat to the lives of the sick and wounded as well as tens of thousands of civilians, including thousands of children. \u00a0\u201cThey are looking at you, imploring you to act to stop another possible massacre unfolding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the imminent threat of being shot and killed, the 14,000 displaced civilians at the hospital are getting restless and desperate, because of lack of water, food, electricity,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 Diseases are spreading and wounds were being infested with worms.\u00a0 \u201cA child was treated for eye infection, the doctor found worms in his eyes.\u201d \u00a0He also described losses suffered by medical teams, including one doctor at Al-Quds Hospital who lost 36 family members.\u00a0 \u201cThe description of the situation at Al-Quds hospital, does not and cannot describe the absolute horrors, the trauma and psychological scars of sleeping every night under the terrorizing bombardment and not knowing whether they will be alive the next morning or not,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Palestine Red Crescent Society is responsible for receiving and distributing humanitarian aid through the Rafah Crossing, but what has come in so far represents less than what used to enter Gaza in two days, he said.\u00a0Not a single drop of fuel has entered \u2014 and without fuel or aid, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip, and many people will starve or die of thirst and diseases.\u00a0 He once again called on the Council and the international community to ensure that an effective and immediate ceasefire is enforced, that fuel gets into Gaza immediately and that humanitarian aid is increased, with deliveries getting into northern Gaza.\u00a0 The Council must also ensure respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in all parts of Gaza. \u00a0Finally, he called on the Council to ensure that hospitals continue to function with much-needed fuel, medicine and medical supplies, and with fresh medical teams allowed to enter to relieve those who have been working tirelessly for the past 34 days.\u00a0 \u201cPlease listen to the cries of children soaked in blood and asking, \u2018Why?\u2019 \u00a0What have they done \u2014 and why the world is so indifferent to their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Statements<\/u><\/p>\n

RIYAD H. MANSOUR,\u00a0Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine<\/u>, said that hospitals in the Gaza Strip have become Israel\u2019s primary target.\u00a0 \u201cThey are besieged and their vicinity bombed.\u201d\u00a0His generation, which 75 years ago experienced the Nakba, often said that if the world knew and witnessed the Palestinians\u2019 pain, it would never have allowed that event to happen, but \u201cwe were so wrong\u201d. \u00a0It does not matter that the latest massacres in Gaza are being reported live or that they are being justified by pundits and spin doctors with all kinds of excuses.\u00a0 Israel is not hiding its intentions, including for a mighty vengeance that amounts to collective punishment of an entire people.\u00a0 Israel calls for the release of 200 hostages, while itself taking 2\u00a0million hostages.\u00a0 It proclaims its right to self-defence while occupying, colonizing and denying every right to the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination and self-protection.\u00a0 Israel rejects any insinuation that it does not uphold \u00a0the laws of war, but commits crimes against humanity on camera, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere should Palestinians go? \u00a0To the sea? \u00a0Or out of the Gaza Strip?\u201d he wondered.\u00a0 Israel feigns surprise over why Palestinians are staying, but it is because his nation has experienced in the flesh the great exodus, he added.\u00a0 \u201cIt is our national trauma.\u201d\u00a0 Israel wants everyone to forget the statements from members of its Government on their desire for forced displacement; rather, it says that it wants Palestinians to go south for their safety.\u00a0 Never mind that people have gone south and are still bombed.\u00a0 The only options Israel has ever given the Palestinians is to submit, leave or die \u2014 in international legal terms: \u00a0apartheid, ethnic cleansing or genocide, he continued.\u00a0In the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel\u2019s settlers and forces have killed 350 Palestinians since the beginning of this year, half of them in the last month, and forcibly displaced hundreds while also seizing large areas of land.\u00a0 Israel is allowing a few humanitarian trucks to reach Gaza to pretend it is not imposing the siege, but that is not enough to save lives, and it is implementing imaginary humanitarian pauses whose only goal is to force people to flee not to guarantee their survival, he said.<\/p>\n

GILAD MENASHE ERDAN (Israel<\/u>) recalled that Kristallnacht, \u201cthe first hyper-violent exposure of Nazi Jew hatred,\u201d occurred 85 years ago today. \u00a0Now, 34 days after 7\u00a0October \u2014 another event forever seared into the collective trauma of the Jewish people \u2014 the Council has still not condemned the planned massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas.\u00a0 \u201cShould this Council in its current form have existed in 1938, I doubt that the response would be much different.\u201d \u00a0Israel has exposed to the world that Hamas has its headquarters in and under\u00a0Al-Shifa Hospital, he said, adding that his country has\u00a0provided footage of terrorists existing adjacent tunnels as well as videos of \u201cHamas ISIS\u201d using ambulances to transport weapons and terrorists. \u00a0Stressing that over 16 years, Hamas has turned every inch of Gaza into a \u201cterror trap\u201d, using medical workers and patients as human shields.\u00a0 Israel is providing safe passage for Gazans to leave an active war zone, but Hamas is preventing them from leaving.\u00a0 Emphasizing that the Government of Israel has gone above and beyond to mitigate civilian casualties, and that it has formed a task force to establish field hospitals in southern Gaza, he said:\u00a0 \u201cFor Israel, life is sacred. \u00a0Yet, for Hamas, death is sacred.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael is fighting a war that it did not start or want,\u201d he continued. \u00a0Calling Hamas responsible for Gaza\u2019s civilian population, he added: \u00a0\u201cWhile Hamas must be held fully accountable, there is another body, sadly, that is complicit \u2014 the UN.\u201d \u00a0For years, the Organization has refused to establish a verification mechanism to provide a truthful picture of reality, while the Council has been spoon-fed lies.\u00a0 \u201cEvery piece of information that this Council receives comes from Hamas, not national UN employees in Gaza,\u201d with terror operatives providing unverifiable and libellous information to UN bodies.\u00a0 \u201cStop believing Hamas\u2019 lies, I beg you.\u201d\u00a0 He went on to say that Israel is in talks with the United Arab Emirates, the International Committee of the Red Cross\u00a0(ICRC) and European counties to set up field hospitals and bring in hospital ships.\u00a0 It also facilitated Jordan\u2019s air drop of medical assistance to hospitals in northern Gaza. \u00a0\u201cIsrael is fighting the war for its very future and existence,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

LANA ZAKI NUSSEIBEH (United Arab Emirates<\/u>), emphasizing the experiences of young people impacted by Israeli air strikes, said that all of the 2,650-plus people currently trapped under rubble in Gaza are human beings, with more than half of them children. \u00a0She noted that the United Arab Emirates is establishing a field hospital in Gaza with Israel\u2019s cooperation and working in solidarity with Gaza\u2019s medical personnel, adding however that Israel\u2019s attacks have been disproportionate, cruel and inhumane, and will not bring security to that country.\u00a0 Those held hostage in Gaza by Hamas are suffering under the same bombardments and psychological trauma, she said, urging their immediate release.\u00a0 Israel must end its siege of Gaza and reinstate essential services and items indispensable to human survival, including fuel, electricity and water. \u00a0It is not enough to simply demand humanitarian access, she said, emphasizing that sustained and multi-day humanitarian pauses or truces \u2014 which are fundamental for achieving the goal of a durable and sustained ceasefire \u2014 must be activated.\u00a0\u201cIt is unconscionable that it has been 33 days of the destruction of Gaza without any Council action and response. \u00a0It is time to act, respond and save innocent lives,\u201d she said, adding that the two-State solution must be the overarching goal.<\/p>\n

ROBERT A. WOOD (United States<\/u>), emphasizing that all medical facilities must be respected and protected in line with international law, said that the United States is working tirelessly to enable a mechanism to deliver fuel to hospitals and to meet urgent needs in southern Gaza.\u00a0 However, Hamas is hoarding and siphoning fuel in northern Gaza and is callously and deliberately endangering Palestinians by using civilians as human shields and putting command posts beneath hospitals, schools and mosques.\u00a0 Israel\u2019s operations must be consistent with international humanitarian law, he said, adding that the principles of proportionality and precaution apply.\u00a0\u201cAcknowledging one party\u2019s suffering does not retract from another\u2019s.\u201d \u00a0Noting the second visit in three weeks to the region by the Secretary of State of the United States, he supported Israel\u2019s right to defend itself and underscored the need to protect civilians and surge humanitarian aid, including through humanitarian pauses.\u00a0 The United States is working with Israel, Egypt and the United Nations to ensure the entry of food, fuel, water and medicines into Gaza, but the quantity is nowhere near enough.\u00a0 Beginning today, Israel will enact four-hour pauses in its military operations in northern Gaza, to be announced three hours ahead, he said, adding that such pauses will also help in the context of the safe release of hostages.\u00a0 There must be no forcible displacement from Gaza, \u201cnot now, or after the war\u201d, he said, adding that Gaza cannot be a platform for terror, nor must there be a blockade, a siege or a reduction of its territory.<\/p>\n

S\u00c9RGIO FRAN\u00c7A DANESE (Brazil<\/u>), urging the Israeli authorities to exercise military restraint, also called on Hamas and other groups to cease all attacks on Israel\u2019s territory.\u00a0 Calling for the protection of all medical facilities and personnel, he also advocated for a safe medical evacuation of the injured or ill.\u00a0UNRWA\u2019s delivery of WHO medical supplies to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on 8\u00a0November is a step in the right direction, he emphasized, expressing hope that the announcement of daily humanitarian pauses in northern Gaza will facilitate aid delivery.\u00a0 \u201cBesides a humanitarian ceasefire, all parties must also commit to a cessation of hostilities,\u201d he stressed, emphasizing that ICRC must be granted access to all hostages without delay.\u00a0 Noting that the crisis has a potential to escalate into a wider conflict, he underscored the importance of convening a conference \u2014 with the participation of a large number of States \u2014 that can promote a political solution. \u00a0In that regard, he spotlighted the 2007 Annapolis Conference as an example.<\/p>\n

ALLEGRA PAMELA R. BONGO (Gabon<\/u>) said that for 35 days the world has witnessed a terrifying escalation of violence, first in Israel, then Gaza, and then in the occupied West Bank.\u00a0 She called for the urgent implementation of the General Assembly\u2019s resolution adopted in October (document\u00a0A\/ES-10\/L.25<\/a>).\u00a0 Gridlock in the Council \u201cdefies all logic and is absolutely unfathomable,\u201d she stated, expressing her shock at the strikes against schools, hospitals, ambulances and refugee camps.\u00a0 Further, the attack on the WHO and UNRWA convoy escorted by two ICRC vehicles, delivering vital medical supplies to hospitals in Gaza on Tuesday, was unacceptable.\u00a0Such flagrant violations of international law must stop. \u00a0She called for an end to shortages of supplies of essentials, a cessation of hostilities and the unconditional release of hostages. \u00a0She also encouraged countries with influence on the parties to redouble efforts to promote de-escalation and a peaceful solution.<\/p>\n

PASCALE CHRISTINE BAERISWYL (Switzerland<\/u>), expressing deep concern over the impact of the conflict, called for the protection of hospitals, clinics, the people who are being treated there and for medical personnel.\u00a0More so, she noted that the ICRC humanitarian convoy carrying emergency aid supplies towards Al-Quds hospital, that came under fire last Tuesday, illustrates the environment in which humanitarian organizations must operate in Gaza.\u00a0 It is essential that water, food, medical supplies and fuel can enter Gaza. \u00a0To that end, Switzerland intends to provide an additional CHF\u00a090\u00a0million in emergency humanitarian aid.\u00a0 Unequivocally condemning the acts of terror carried out by Hamas against civilian populations in Israel, she called for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.\u00a0 While recognizing Israel\u2019s right to ensure its defence, she emphasized that, in view of the increase in settler violence, the country is obliged to protect the civilian population.<\/p>\n

NATHALIE BROADHURST ESTIVAL (France<\/u>) said that Israel has a right to defend itself while preserving the lives of civilians.\u00a0Noting that the civilian population in Gaza is being exposed to dire sanitary conditions and a heightened risk of an epidemic, she called for a humanitarian truce that \u201cshould result in a ceasefire that we must work towards\u201d.\u00a0 She further underscored the importance of unimpeded humanitarian access, stressing that all check points need to be open; the number of convoys needs to be commensurate with the needs; and the civilian infrastructure must be protected.\u00a0Spotlighting the International Humanitarian Conference for the civilian population in Gaza \u2014 organized in Paris on 9\u00a0November at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron \u2014 she said it has resulted in more than \u20ac1\u00a0billion of financial contributions.\u00a0 She also reported that France has provided \u20ac100\u00a0million and delivered 87 tons of humanitarian cargo, adding that 30\u00a0tons of humanitarian aid will be delivered as part of the European Union\u2019s Humanitarian Air Bridge.<\/p>\n

SHINO MITSUKO (Japan<\/u>) expressed regret that the Security Council has remained silent for more than a month since the conflict broke out with the horrifying acts of terror by Hamas in Israel on 7\u00a0October.\u00a0 Voicing support for humanitarian pauses, as well as humanitarian corridors, she stressed that the recently announced Flash Appeal requires $1.2\u00a0billion to meet immediate humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank.\u00a0 To that, Japan is prepared to provide an additional humanitarian aid package of $65\u00a0million, in addition to the already-decided Emergency Grant Aid of $10\u00a0million.\u00a0 She called on all Member States and humanitarian partners to join this effort.\u00a0Demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, she warned that the situations in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen are getting worrisome and that the rise in extremist settler violence is totally unacceptable.\u00a0 \u201cA single miscalculation on any of these fronts could lead to a disastrous regional conflict,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n

BARBARA WOODWARD (United Kingdom<\/u>) stressed that humanitarian access, both through Rafah and other crossing points, needs to improve so that aid can reach the people who desperately need it.\u00a0 Further, such aid requires humanitarian pauses and fuel must be allowed to enter Gaza so that hospitals and water desalination plants can operate.\u00a0Noting that since 7\u00a0October, the United Kingdom has been firm in its support for Israel\u2019s right to self-defence following Hamas\u2019 terrorist attack, she urged all parties to the conflict to take every possible step to minimize harm to civilians, health and humanitarian workers.\u00a0 The United Kingdom has been clear that Israel must do more to prevent escalation in the West Bank, and it condemns attacks against Israel from armed groups in the region, she emphasized. \u00a0She also recalled that her country\u2019s Foreign Secretary was in Riyadh yesterday discussing preventing regional escalation with the representatives of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the Palestinian Authority.<\/p>\n

HAROLD ADLAI AGYEMAN (Ghana<\/u>), noting the Council\u2019s inability to reach a consensus on how to get the parties to end the hostilities, voiced hope that it can unite around a common approach to abate the hostilities and bring the warring parties to the negotiating table for a peaceful resolution. \u00a0Noting the intention to allow a daily four-hour humanitarian pause in the fighting in northern Gaza, he stressed that \u201cmore can be done and more should be done\u201d.\u00a0Urgent conditions for safe humanitarian corridors, rescue and recovery operations and safe passage for the wounded, sick children, pregnant women, and caregivers must be created, in conformity with international humanitarian law. \u00a0He called once again on all countries that have a moderating influence over the parties to intensify efforts aimed at stopping the fighting and securing the release of all Israeli and foreign captives. \u00a0He also called again on the Hamas militia to immediately and unconditionally release all captured civilians.<\/p>\n

FERIT HOXHA (Albania<\/u>), voicing regret that Hamas continues to ignore calls to release its hostages, underscored Israel\u2019s legitimate right to self-defence against savagery.\u00a0 However, the humanitarian situation is not sustainable, he said, noting the passing of more than 800 trucks through Rafah Crossing.\u00a0 Hospitals must remain protected and urgent actions are required to ensure access to food, water, medicine and fuel, \u201cnot to Hamas and its fighters, but they should not be denied to civilians\u201d, he said.\u00a0 While Hamas\u2019 massacre cannot be equated with Israel\u2019s military actions, international law must not remain \u201cempty words\u201d, he said, pointing to the staggering losses of civilian lives, including an \u201cunbearable\u201d number of children, which was \u201cprofoundly disturbing\u201d.\u00a0 Taking note of the four-hour pauses in military action, he called for coordination with United Nations actors to enable humanitarian help.\u00a0However, pointing out that UN workers have said these pauses are not enough, he underscored that those workers must be heard.<\/p>\n

ANDR\u00c9S EFREN MONTALVO SOSA (Ecuador<\/u>) said that every armed conflict entails serious consequences for the health of the affected population, both due to the direct effect of the weapons used and the deterioration of health conditions caused by the destruction of areas and the suspension of basic services.\u00a0 He called for health facilities not to be targeted and for international humanitarian law to be respected at all times and by everyone. \u00a0He said that hostages must be released and humanitarian aid must reach those needing it in a timely manner and with enough quantity.\u00a0 For this to happen, there must be a humanitarian truce.\u00a0He noted that initiatives, such as the International Humanitarian Conference for Gaza, held yesterday in Paris, are worthy of praise, but, alone, are not enough. \u00a0It is urgent that those who have the power of veto in the Council reach agreements that allow it to act.<\/p>\n

VASSILY A. NEBENZIA (Russian Federation<\/u>) said that on 10 November the Russian Federation\u2019s Emergency Ministry announced a delivery of the fourth consignment of 25 tons of food and medicine to Egypt. He also pointed to the \u201cforgotten volatile situation\u201d in the West Bank, consigned to oblivion in the shadow of the tragic events in Gaza, and highlighted the escalation of violence triggered by Israel\u2019s security forces operations. \u00a0Underscoring the importance of a ceasefire, he added: \u201cOnly this, and not certain short-term pauses, is the only real measure that would help avoid new casualties.\u201d\u00a0 The obstruction of the peace initiatives by Washington, D.C., its so-called \u201cpeace acquis diplomacy\u201d and absence of any negotiations progress has generated radicalizations, he said, stressing that the presence of American units and groups in the eastern Mediterranean are a part of the overall escalation.\u00a0 \u201cOne cannot allow third parties to exploit the Palestine-Israel confrontation to derail positive trends,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n

PEDRO COMISS\u00c1RIO AFONSO (Mozambique<\/u>) said depriving food, medicines, water and electricity to a trapped civilian population because of military action compounds the gravity of the worsening humanitarian situation.\u00a0 \u201cThis monstrous calamity will further alienate the Palestinian people for generations to come and undermine efforts towards achieving peace and stability in the region,\u201d he warned. \u00a0Urging full compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, he stressed that an immediate ceasefire would halt and minimize civilian deaths and the destruction of infrastructure and ensure that aid can be delivered to Gaza.\u00a0 He called once again for immediate and decisive steps to de-escalate the situation and ensure sustained and unhindered access and safe delivery of life-saving aid. \u00a0Underscoring the Council\u2019s collective duty to ensure the protection of all civilians, both in Israel and Gaza, he said the longstanding need for a two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine, living side by side, in peace and security, must be at the centre of its efforts toward peace and justice in the region.<\/p>\n

VANESSA FRAZIER (Malta<\/u>) voiced concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, with tens of thousands of injured, sick and displaced civilians sheltering in hospitals and schools.\u00a0 Those civilians are depending on their protected status under international law for safety.\u00a0 However, she stressed: \u201cA relentless siege and daily aerial bombardments in one of the most densely populated places on Earth means that there are no safe zones in Gaza.\u201d\u00a0 Deploring yesterday\u2019s strikes against hospitals, including Al-Shifa, she emphasized that medical facilities, personnel and ambulances are protected by international humanitarian law and should not be targeted. \u00a0While welcoming Israel\u2019s announcement of daily pauses, longer sustained pauses are needed for humanitarian actors to address the rising needs of the civilian population, including urgent recovery operations for persons trapped under rubble, she said, reiterating her call for a humanitarian ceasefire, and adequate pauses leading up to it. \u00a0She also reiterated her delegation\u2019s urgent demand for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to safely release all hostages.<\/p>\n

ZHANG JUN (China<\/u>), Council President for October, speaking in his national capacity, said: \u201cThe world must speak out together. \u00a0Enough is enough.\u201d\u00a0 He called on Council members to do away with obstruction and take meaningful action for peace, emphasizing that a ceasefire without delay is needed, as the only hope for Gazans to survive.\u00a0 He also underscored that all, especially the major power with unique influence on both parties, should put aside geopolitical considerations and find an end to fighting.\u00a0 Calling for Israel to curb the intensification of settler violence in the occupied West Bank, he also voiced support for the Council to take urgent action to facilitate a sustained truce of multiple days and the opening of a green corridor for specialized agencies and equipment to enter Gaza to undertake rescue operations to save children.\u00a0 Further, medical evacuations should be made possible, he added, also calling on Israel to immediately lift the blockade to allow supplies into Gaza, and all crossings should be utilized.<\/p>\n

Dr.\u00a0TEDROS said that nowhere and no one is safe in Gaza.\u00a0\u201cImagine that you are trapped in that situation\u2026 That is why we are asking for a ceasefire, for unfettered humanitarian access, and also for the Council to do everything it can to release hostages.\u201d \u00a0Recalling his visit to Israel in 2014, when he was Minister for Foreign Affairs for Ethiopia, he said that he emphasized then that the situation in Gaza was unsustainable and dangerous, and called for implementation of the two-State solution.\u00a0That would be good for both Palestine and Israel, he recalled saying at the time, adding to his Israeli counterparts:\u00a0\u201cPlease do it for your own sake.\u201d\u00a0He welcomed the Council\u2019s emphasis on the two-State solution amid the current acute crisis and reiterated the need for urgent Council reform.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

9472ND MEETING (PM) SC\/15487 10 NOVEMBER 2023 One Child Killed Every Minute; Risk of Disease Growing; \u2018Nowhere is Safe\u2019 Describing a health system that is on the verge of collapse, the head of the United Nations health agency urged the Security Council today to secure an immediate ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access in Gaza where […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2477],"document-source":[1362,6169,2529],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1769,1829,2265,2033,2005,2533,1741,5200,6251],"entity":[],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-290639","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-news-item","document-source-security-council","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-source-world-health-organization-who","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-children","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","document-subject-west-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290674,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/290639\/revisions\/290674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=290639"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=290639"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=290639"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=290639"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=290639"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=290639"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=290639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}