Humanitarian workers in Gaza must be allowed to carry out their work safely: UK statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Barbara Woodward, at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.
Thank you, President, and like others, I join you in thanking Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator Kaag and Executive Director Da Silva for your briefings. The UK strongly supports the UN’s tireless efforts to scale up aid into Gaza and pays tribute to you and the whole UN community for your work under increasingly difficult circumstances.
As you said, your briefing was sober and sombre. It couldn’t be otherwise describing an intolerable humanitarian situation in Gaza. As we’ve heard, over 41,000 people have now been killed, tens of thousands more are injured. 17,000 children are without parents. And 101 civilians remain hostage in Gaza, subject to horrific and inhumane conditions for almost a year.
We remain concerned too about the risk of wider regional escalation. We condemn the Houthi attack over the weekend, and we reiterate our demand for an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to release all hostages.
President, we welcome the news that the first round of the UN’s polio vaccine campaign in Gaza has now concluded, facilitated by Israel’s implementation of agreed tactical pauses.
Despite the challenges – including the attack on a UN vaccination convoy last week – this shows that deconfliction can work where there is a political will.
So, first, we now need to see this capacity for deconfliction applied to the wider humanitarian operation. Israel has committed to flood Gaza with aid: but this has not materialised. This is unacceptable.
Second, President, mass Israeli evacuation notices and the use of heavy weaponry mean that nowhere is safe in Gaza. We join the Secretary-General’s call for compliance with international law, especially the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution in attacks. We are horrified by the further killing of aid workers.
Just last week, as colleagues have said, we heard reports of 18 people, including six UNRWA staff members as the Secretary-General reported, killed by an Israeli military strike on the al-Jaouni school-turned shelter.
In total, 300 aid workers have been killed in this conflict. And we repeat our condolences to their families and their loved ones. And we reiterate that humanitarian workers must be allowed to carry out their work safely.
Third, the UK will continue to play a leading role in addressing this humanitarian crisis – including through our renewed funding for UNRWA, and support for other aid agencies providing lifesaving relief, as well as continued advocacy.
Colleagues, we are all rightly focussed on the immediate priority of securing a ceasefire and a hostage release deal. And we fully support US, Qatari and Egyptian efforts and call on both Israel and Hamas to take the deal on the table.
But we must also consider what comes next. There will be an enormous task in helping those in Gaza to rebuild. Early recovery will include clearing unexploded ordinance and rubble and providing essential services.
The rebuilding of Gaza must be accompanied by the rebuilding of hope. Hope for an end to this cycle of violence. Hope for long-term peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
This can be achieved only with a two-state solution, which affords Palestinians their inalienable right to self-determination alongside security for Israel.