<\/p>\n
29 August 2024<\/p>\n
Watch Security Council’s 9715th meeting on UN Web TV<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n As the United Nations and its humanitarian partners prepare for a vaccination campaign in Gaza to deal with the polio outbreak, speakers in the Security Council urged Israel to refrain from military operations and evacuation orders to ensure that those delivering and receiving services can do so safely.<\/p>\n The 10-month-old infant who died of polio in Gaza \u2014 after 25 years of a polio-free Palestine \u2014 was born during wartime and never vaccinated, reported Mike Ryan, Deputy Director-General and Executive Director of the Health Emergency Programme at the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cThe current outbreak in Gaza is a stark reminder of how quickly infectious diseases can re-emerge in regions where health systems are compromised,\u201d he said, noting that many other maladies are spreading while the collective capacity to prevent, detect and respond to them continues to be hindered.<\/p>\n He therefore welcomed the commitment to \u201carea-specific humanitarian pauses and suspension of evacuation orders\u201d for the implementation of a two-round polio vaccination campaign, set to begin in Gaza on 1\u00a0September. \u00a0During each round, the Palestinian Ministry of Health \u2014 in collaboration with WHO, the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) \u2014 will provide two drops of a WHO-prequalified \u201cnOPV2\u201d vaccine to more than 640,000 children under 10 years of age.<\/p>\n The campaign will begin in central Gaza and then move south and finally north, with each area covered over three days.\u00a0 Noting that at least 90\u00a0per\u00a0cent vaccination coverage during each round is needed to stop the outbreak and \u201cprevent international spread of polio\u201d, he stressed that \u2014 due to factors such as insecurity, damaged infrastructure and constant displacement \u2014 \u201cwe know an additional day or two is very often needed to achieve sufficient coverage\u201d. \u00a0\u201cThe safety of every single one of the over 2,180 vaccinators must be guaranteed,\u201d he underscored.<\/p>\n He also detailed the \u201cmuch larger public health catastrophe\u201d in which the polio outbreak is occurring.\u00a0 As of 25\u00a0August, only 44\u00a0per\u00a0cent of primary health-care facilities are functional and attacks on health care continue to be reported.\u00a0 Evacuation orders are further disrupting health-care provision, endangering critical health infrastructure and hampering the delivery of essential supplies.\u00a0 Calling on the international community to act now to secure humanitarian pauses, ensure the delivery of critical health supplies and support the rapid implementation of the polio vaccination campaign, he stressed:\u00a0 \u201cThe world cannot stand by as Gaza\u2019s health system crumbles under the weight of this conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n Also briefing the Council today was Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator<\/strong>, who described the humanitarian community in Gaza as working relentlessly to stop the spread of polio, \u201ca disease that the world thought it had under control\u201d. \u00a0She added: \u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t need to tell you how disastrous it would be if we were unable to contain this preventable disease \u2014 a disease that knows no borders.\u201d \u00a0Noting that Israel has facilitated the entry of all requested polio vaccines and equipment, she said: \u00a0\u201cWhat is now most important is to ensure both the security and access needed to implement the campaign effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n Highlighting the difficulties faced by the Organization\u2019s humanitarian workers, she said: \u201cIn the past week alone, our teams have been displaced and shot at. \u00a0We have lost offices and warehouses and limited supplies have continued to dwindle.\u201d \u00a0Her World Food Programme (WFP) colleagues were fired upon two days ago in their marked vehicle \u201cand survived by sheer luck\u201d, she said, adding that it is difficult to plan more than 24 hours in advance because \u201cwe struggle to know what supplies we will have, when we will have them or where we will be able to deliver.\u201d \u00a0The lives of 2.1\u00a0million people cannot depend on luck and hope alone, she stressed.<\/p>\n She also pointed to a spike in evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military, noting that the 25\u00a0August order led to the largest relocation of UN staff since October\u00a02023. \u00a0\u201cCommunities live in a state of limbo, never knowing when the next order to flee will come,\u201d she said, adding that civilians are now being forced into the equivalent of 11\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the territory of Gaza. \u00a0\u201cAny and every square foot of available land is being used for shelter,\u201d she said, adding that temporary encampments have even been built on the beach right up to the water\u2019s edge. \u00a0After calls from Member States, the Israeli military has, for the first time, issued a reversal of orders for three blocks in Deir al-Balah \u2014 the UN teams are working to confirm if they can now return to the premises they had to leave on 25\u00a0August, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have witnessed over the past 11 months \u2014 and continue to witness \u2014 calls into question the world\u2019s commitment to the international legal order that was designed to prevent these tragedies,\u201d she added.\u00a0 Hungry, thirsty, sick and homeless, civilians have been pushed beyond the limits of human endurance. \u00a0The UN remains on the ground, \u201cplanning as best we can\u201d she said, adding that despite insufficient stocks, aid partners continue to provide food, health care, shelter materials when possible, \u201cand amid the destruction, spaces for children to learn\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have repeatedly informed you of the harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction that raise very serious concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law,\u201d she said. \u00a0The Council must ensure strict adherence to international humanitarian law and international human rights law.\u00a0 All hostages must be released without conditions, and all civilians must be protected, and their essential needs must be met, including by ensuring the unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza, she said.<\/p>\n When the floor opened for discussion, delegates reiterated the briefers\u2019 call for a safe vaccination campaign, and citing the recent attack on a WFP vehicle, urged Israel to ensure humanitarian protection for aid workers.<\/p>\n Polio had nearly been eradicated through the dedicated efforts of international health partners, the representative of the United States<\/strong> observed. \u00a0The return of confirmed polio cases in Gaza threatens the health of the most vulnerable Palestinian civilians, including children, he said, adding: \u201cIt is especially important for Israel to facilitate access for agencies carrying out the vaccination campaign and for it to ensure periods of calm and refrain from military operations during the vaccination campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Urging that country to avoid further evacuation orders, he also expressed alarm about reports that the Israel Defense Forces fired repeatedly on a WFP vehicle on Wednesday.\u00a0 Though Israel has said after an initial review that this was the result of a communication error between its military units, \u201cthe simple fact is almost 11 months into this conflict incidents such as yesterday’s remain all too common\u201d, he pointed out. \u00a0Also noting another incident in which Israel\u2019s army fired towards a UNICEF vehicle, he said: \u00a0\u201cIsrael must not only take ownership for its mistakes but also take concrete actions to ensure the IDF does not fire on UN personnel again. \u00a0Adding that \u201cwe must not ignore how Hamas’s actions continue to put\u201d civilians and humanitarian personnel at risk, he said his country along with Qatar and Egypt continue to engage the parties on a final deal.<\/p>\n The representative of the United Kingdom<\/strong> also expressed concern about the Israel Defense Forces opening fire on the WFP truck, noting that the vehicle had been fully coordinated with Israel and had UN workers inside.\u00a0 Calling on Tel Aviv to take immediate steps to protect aid workers, he said that despite repeated calls for deconfliction and protection of aid operations, such appalling attacks on UN and aid convoys continue to take place.\u00a0 This conflict already represents the deadliest by far for humanitarian personnel, he observed.<\/p>\n The major polio outbreak which has already claimed a child, he said, is \u201ca tragedy could have been prevented\u201d.\u00a0 Welcoming Israel’s agreement for pauses on military operations so that WHO and health agencies can deliver a safe and effective campaign, he said \u201cwe now need to see this in action.\u201d\u00a0 The pauses need to be long enough to deliver the required vaccinations. \u00a0\u201cWhen the campaign starts and thousands of vulnerable and unaccompanied children gather at vaccination sites, they must all be protected,\u201d he underscored.<\/p>\n Likewise, the speaker for the Republic of Korea<\/strong>, noting that polio is highly contagious and significantly threatening Palestinian children in Gaza, called on all parties to let health workers fulfil their vital mission. \u00a0However, this becomes an almost impossible task, he said, as nowhere and no one in Gaza is safe, not civilians, not even children, not medical workers, and not UN staff<\/p>\n Japan\u2019s speaker<\/strong> deplored the attack on the WFP vehicle carrying humanitarian cargo to central Gaza. \u201cClearly, deconfliction mechanisms are still woefully insufficient,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u00a0The so-called \u201csafe zones\u201d are nothing of the sort.\u00a0 It is unacceptable that UN aid vehicles in Gaza continue to be fired upon.\u00a0 His counterpart from Ecuador called on parties to uphold norms of international humanitarian law \u2014 always and in all circumstances.\u00a0 An immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of the hostages, improvement of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, is vitally important so that this agreement can come to fruition without any further delays.\u00a0Malta\u2019s delegate noted that since last October, around 280 UN and humanitarian workers have been killed. \u00a0Such chilling statistics underline a failure to abide by international law and international humanitarian law, he said, adding that UN humanitarian operations currently hang by a thread.<\/p>\n \u201cLong time ago, we exhausted our vocabulary of words to describe the tragedy of Gaza,\u201d Slovenia\u2019s speaker<\/strong> told Council members. \u00a0There must be reinforcement among troops of rules of engagement and obligations.\u00a0 This includes respect for the UN, its mission, its work and its staff. \u00a0While he welcomed progress related to polio vaccination campaigns, he reiterated that more needs to be done. \u00a0The war must end, he said, reminding delegates that the Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice is clear: \u00a0Israel\u2019s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and must end as rapidly as possible.<\/p>\n Several delegates drew attention to the burden posed by Israel\u2019s evacuation orders, with Guyana\u2019s representative<\/strong> noting that such orders \u2014 sometimes issued \u201cwith very little notice\u201d \u2014 affect humanitarian operations by shrinking the spaces where humanitarian actors operate and civilians dwell.\u00a0 Before 7\u00a0October\u00a02023, there were 1,200 persons per square kilometre in Gaza \u2014 that number has risen to 40,000.\u00a0 Noting that the constant evacuations and shrinking space for civilians has given rise to disease, including the re-emergence of polio, she said: \u00a0\u201cHistory will judge us harshly if this Council does not act to save the Palestinian people from the scourge of this unending onslaught, in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is unacceptable,\u201d Switzerland\u2019s delegate<\/strong> stressed, noting that the Israeli army’s orders have caused the displacement of almost 90 per cent of the inhabitants, who live on less than 11\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the Gaza Strip.\u00a0 In addition to uprooting already exhausted families, the orders pose enormous obstacles to aid activities.\u00a0 And with each displacement, humanitarian actors lose access to the premises and logistical infrastructure they need to operate \u2014 as was the case on Sunday night in Deir al-Balah.\u00a0 All parties have an obligation to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need. \u00a0This also applies to armed groups such as Hamas. \u00a0And Israel \u2014 as the occupying Power, and as recalled by the International Court of Justice \u2014 is obliged to fulfil the humanitarian needs of the population.<\/p>\n Speaker after speaker pointed to the deteriorating conditions in the West Bank, in addition to the situation in Gaza. \u00a0The representative of Sierra Leone<\/strong>, Council President for August, spoke in his national capacity, voicing alarm over Israel\u2019s \u201cmassive\u201d 28\u00a0August military operation in the West Bank. \u00a0Recent reports from the Occupied Palestinian Territory convey \u201ca high sense of fear and desperation\u201d among both Palestinians and humanitarian personnel, he observed. \u00a0\u201cLet me close by reminding parties to the conflict to unreservedly adhere to their obligations under international law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n China\u2019s delegate<\/strong> noted that Israel\u2019s expansion of settlements and ramping up of searches, arrests and raids against the Palestinians are all violations of international law.\u00a0 Citing the Israeli military\u2019s launch Wednesday of a large-scale military operation targeting Jenin and other cities in the West Bank, he said senior Israeli officials recently spoke of using the same approach in the West Bank as they have employed in Gaza operations.\u00a0 \u201cShocked by such extreme remarks,\u201d he stated:\u00a0 \u201cWe must never allow the same humanitarian catastrophe to happen in the West Bank, which would turn it into another hell on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrance<\/strong> is opposed to any occupation by Israel of the West Bank,\u201d that country\u2019s representative said, condemning all acts of provocation and any unilateral measures both there and in Jerusalem.\u00a0 Israel\u2019s settlement policy is in breach of international law, she said, demanding that the country take all measures to stop the unacceptable settler attacks on the civilian Palestinian population in West Bank. \u00a0The vaccination campaign that is about to begin is not negotiable, she added, while reiterating commitment to Israel\u2019s security and condemning the terrorist barbaric attacks and sexual violence committed on 7\u00a0October by Hamas and other terrorist groups.<\/p>\n Several delegates pointed to the Council\u2019s \u201ccollective responsibility\u201d to urge de-escalation in the Gaza Strip, with Mozambique\u2019s<\/strong> representative<\/strong> underlining the need to advocate for the safety of civilians caught in the crossfire. \u00a0He therefore called on all Council members to work towards both establishing \u201cpeace and stability in this troubled region\u201d while adhere to their obligations under international law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHumanitarian workers have single-handedly been trying to help the people in Gaza survive unprecedented decisions undertaken by Israel,\u201d said the Russian<\/strong> Federation\u2019s<\/strong> representative<\/strong>.\u00a0 The words used today to describe the catastrophic situation in the enclave have transformed into \u201cfutile clich\u00e9s\u201d, he observed, adding that the majority of those who are suffering are entirely innocent women and children.\u00a0 Humanitarian workers \u2014 who fulfil their heroic duty and constantly risk their lives \u2014 cannot confront military personnel or defend themselves and, therefore, are unable to work under circumstances of active hostilities.\u00a0Accordingly, he asserted, \u201cthe Council does not have the moral right to demand that they sacrifice their lives while doing nothing to compel the parties to cease fire\u201d.<\/p>\n Algeria\u2019s<\/strong> delegate<\/strong>, in that vein, underlined that \u201chumanitarian workers are not obligated to risk their lives; rather, it is our obligation to provide them with protection.\u201d\u00a0 Calling for an immediate ceasefire, he emphasized that \u201cthe scale of brutality that the Palestinians are subjected to\u201d and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory cannot be addressed otherwise.\u00a0 The policy adopted by Israel aims to kill hope in the hearts of the Palestinians, humiliate them and undermine the public order in Gaza, he said.<\/p>\n The representatives of the<\/strong> United<\/strong> States<\/strong> and the Russian<\/strong> Federation<\/strong> exchanged words further after all the speakers in the Council had taken the floor. \u00a0The former said that Moscow neither contributes to resolving the conflict in Gaza nor understands its complications; instead it demeans the work of the United States, Qatar and Egypt. \u00a0The Russian Federation\u2019s representative recalled that his delegation had presented a ceasefire resolution in the Council in October which was vetoed by the delegate of the United States.\u00a0 \u201cI don’t need to sit here and explain to you why the US did what it did with regard to these resolutions,\u201d the representative of the United States said in response, adding that implementation is the issue.\u00a0 Hamas, at many times, has changed its views on some of the steps that were previously agreed on, he added. \u00a0To which, the Russian Federation\u2019s delegate said the United States bears the brunt of responsibility for what is currently taking place in Gaza.\u00a0 \u201cIf my colleagues lack the courage to say this to your face, I have no problem doing so,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 29 August 2024 Watch Security Council’s 9715th meeting on UN Web TV As the United Nations and its humanitarian partners prepare for a vaccination campaign in Gaza to deal with the polio outbreak, speakers in the Security Council urged Israel to refrain from military operations and evacuation orders to ensure that those delivering and 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