Mr. President,
We join colleagues in thanking Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča for his briefing. We also listened with deep empathy to Mr. David’s statement, and sincerely hope for the safe and swift reunification of his family and all others still held in captivity.
2. The taking of hostages is a clear violation of international law and totally unacceptable. Hostages must be released. Among other things, this was a clear demand in the draft resolution of the Security Council presented by the E-10 including Pakistan in June.
3. At the same time, let us be clear on the gravity of the overall situation on the ground. And it is not just we here in the security council or the wider UN membership in the General Assembly who are watching and who are worried. The entire world is watching –in disbelief. Civilians have suffered the brunt of Israel’s war on Gaza. Nothing can justify the indiscriminate killings, the starvation of an entire population, the collective punishment of a besieged people. These actions are not only morally indefensible; they constitute grave breaches of international law, including the Geneva Conventions, and stand in flagrant violation of binding measures issued by the International Court of Justice.
Mr. President,
4. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues to escalate at an unprecedented scale. According to UN human rights experts, “Israel’s widespread and systemic abuse of Palestinians in detention and arbitrary arrest practices over decades, coupled with the absence of any restraints by the Israeli State since 7 October 2023, paint a shocking picture enabled by absolute impunity.” Around 9,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women are currently imprisoned, around one-third without charge or trial. This is a profound violation of basic human rights and again, totally unacceptable.
5. “60,000 Gazans have been killed. 18,500 children. Palestinian children have been killed at a rate more than 1 per hour since the war began. Mr. President, although I could have said this, but it is not my statement, it is The Washington Post, which has also published the names and ages of each of those 18,500 Palestinian children.
6. The leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz has described the situation in Gaza as “likely the most extreme example of politically driven starvation in the 21st century.
7. The consequences are therefore horrible: at least 175 Palestinians, including 93 children, have died of starvation. The Director-General of the FAO has warned “Gaza is now on the brink of a full-scale famine. People are not starving because food is unavailable, they are starving because access is denied.”
8. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has warned that the “worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in the Gaza Strip.” UNICEF has called it “a perfect storm of suffering for children,” while the UN Secretary-General has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.”
9. The World Food Programme put it starkly: “This is a disaster unfolding in front of our eyes, in front of our television screens.”
Mr. President,
10. Even the delivery of humanitarian aid has become deadly. Over 1,200 aid-related killings have been documented since May. “Palestinians are routinely forced to choose between two deadly options: risking death by starvation, or risking death by gunfire to reach food aid site.” That is what the New York Times is saying.
11. This war on civilians must end. We call for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal, the release of hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access. The initial phase of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States led to the release of 33 hostages. But for Israel’s unilateral abandonment of the ceasefire, further releases could not take place. Thus, the suffering continues. The suffering continues on both sides.
12. We further call for the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2735, which presents a viable, actionable roadmap to end hostilities and deliver desperately needed aid.
Mr. President,
13. In the interest of peace, for that is the core responsibility of this council, we must keep in mind the historical perspective of the Arab Israeli conflict. We must not lose sight of the root cause of this ongoing tragedy: that is the Israel’s prolonged, illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. As long as this occupation endures, peace will remain elusive.
14. Lasting peace demands a credible political horizon – one grounded in international law – leading to the realization of a sovereign, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. The recent High-Level Conference on peaceful settlement of the Palestinian Question and implementation of the Two-State Solution was a timely initiative. It must be followed by concrete, and coordinated international action to finally achieve the long coveted peace and stability in the Middle East.
Mr. President,
15. Mr. President: human rights are universal and indivisible. Human rights cannot be partitioned, and justice must never be selective. The imperative – legal, political, and moral – is crystal clear, we must act now to end Israel’s brutal and illegal war and the unconscionable suffering of the Palestinian people. Humanity and dignity of people, civilians on both sides, demand nothing less.
I thank you.