Palestinians have nowhere safe to turn: UK statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on meeting on Gaza, following Israeli strikes on al-Tabeen school.
The UK is appalled by the Israeli military strike on al-Tabeen school where Palestinian civilians were sheltering. The UN tells us this strike killed dozens of Palestinians, many of whom are reported to be women and children. Sadly, this was not the only Israeli strike on schools, turned-shelters, we have seen. There were 17 such attacks in July alone.
Palestinians have nowhere safe to turn. 86% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders. And in recent days we have seen some of the largest orders to date, impacting tens of thousands of people, displaced multiple times over. Families are forced to move back and forth, back and forth but with none of these places offering the safety or security they so desperately need. On top of that, some of these orders have been issued by Israel in the middle of the night with minimal notice to allow civilians to flee. Israel must ensure it complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.
The UK is also horrified by the reports of sexual violence and abuse faced by the hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention, many of whom are children. Hamas must release all the hostages immediately. Hamas must also stop endangering civilians. And Israel must grant the ICRC access to prisoners immediately and ensure accountability if anyone is found to be responsible for the abuse of detainees.
We have also heard completely unacceptable rhetoric from Israeli Ministers relating to the mistreatment of detainees and starvation of civilians in Gaza. We call upon the Government of Israel to retract and condemn these remarks. International law could not be more clear – systemic mistreatment of detainees and the intentional starvation of civilians are war crimes.
President, another deadly threat is on the horizon for the people of Gaza. They stand on the precipice of a polio outbreak with 600,000 children under the age of 8 in desperate need of vaccinations. We call on the parties to cooperate urgently with the World Health Organization to facilitate vaccine rollouts and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers. We call on Israel to allow unfettered aid access into Gaza and to put in place an effective deconfliction mechanism to ensure aid can be delivered safely.
Finally President, I reiterate the UK’s call for regional de-escalation, as my Prime Minister made clear in his call with Iranian President Pezeshkian last night. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt; there is a ceasefire deal on the table for Gaza. My Prime Minister joined with his French and German counterparts to urge the parties to resume discussions on 15 August and get the deal done. We need an immediate ceasefire, we must get the hostages out, get much more aid in and move quickly towards a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.