World Health Organization Chief, Briefing Security Council on War in Gaza, Joins Calls for Immediate Ceasefire, Unfettered Humanitarian Access
One Child Killed Every Minute; Risk of Disease Growing; ‘Nowhere is Safe’
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 “nowhere and no one is safe” as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (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. Thousands of displaced people are sheltering at hospitals, with 70 per cent of the more than 10,800 people so far killed being women and children. “On average, a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza,” he stated.
Some 1.5 million people now are displaced and looking for shelter anywhere, but “nowhere and no one is safe” and overcrowding is increasing the risk diarrheal and respiratory diseases and skin infections, he said. WHO, which was part of the first aid convoy to enter Gaza through the Rafah Crossing on 21 October, has since delivered 63 metric tons of specialist medical equipment and supplies, but this does not address the scale of needs, he added.
Since 7 October, 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. 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. He also called for a ceasefire and for both sides to abide by international humanitarian law.
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 — and without fuel or aid, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip, many people will starve or die of thirst and disease. 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.
The Council must also ensure respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in all parts of Gaza, he stated. Moreover, 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. Council members must urgently do all they can to spare further deaths and suffering of civilians, he stressed.
“Where should Palestinians go? To the sea? Or out of the Gaza Strip?” asked the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, at the start of the ensuing debate. Hospitals in Gaza have become Israel’s primary target, he said, adding that while Israel calls for the release of 200 hostages, it has itself taken 2 million hostages — a reference to Gaza’s population. The only options that Israel has ever given the Palestinians is to submit, leave or die — or in international legal terms, apartheid, ethnic cleansing or genocide, he stated.
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. Israel 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 “terror trap”, using medical workers and patients as human shields. The Government of Israel has gone above and beyond to mitigate civilian casualties, but Hamas must be held accountable, he said, emphasizing: “Israel is fighting the war for its very future and existence.”
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. They remained divided, however, on how the 15-member organ should respond — with some urging an immediate ceasefire, while others underlined the importance of humanitarian pauses.
The United States’ 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. 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.
The Russian Federation’s delegate noted his country’s efforts, including an announcement by its Emergency Ministry on 10 November of the delivery of a fourth consignment of 25 tons of food and medicine to Egypt. However, the United States is obstructing peace initiatives, he said, emphasizing the importance of a ceasefire. “Only this, and not certain short-term pauses, is the only real measure that would help avoid new casualties,” he said.
The representative of the United Arab Emirates, which requested today’s meeting, said that Israel must end its siege of Gaza and reinstate essential services. Its attacks will not bring security to that country, she added. Sustained and multi-day humanitarian pauses or truces — which are fundamental for achieving the goal of a durable and sustained ceasefire — 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.
THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15487.doc.htm
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