Mr. President,
I thank you for your skilled stewardship of the Security Council this month and the efforts to address the crisis being faced by the Palestinian people, particularly due to the Israeli military aggression in the Gaza Strip. I thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his briefing and convey our deep gratitude to him for undertaking an emergency mission to the region in support of the regional and international efforts to secure an urgent ceasefire based on the Egyptian initiative and with the active engagement of President Mahmoud Abbas and other concerned parties.
Today, we also recognize the efforts of UN Special Coordinator Robert Serry on the ground, including with regard to the calls for the humanitarian pause, and the valiant efforts of UN agencies on the ground, including UNRWA, under the leadership of Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl, and OCHA, under the leadership of Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos, and the other UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, including the ICRC, that are providing vital emergency assistance to the Palestinian people at this time of crisis.
Mr. President,
Regrettably, despite all of these regional and international efforts, hundreds more Palestinian civilians have been killed, thousands have been injured and tens of thousands have been displaced by the Israeli military aggression in Gaza since we last came before the Security Council on Friday.
Israeli bombardment – including missile airstrikes, bombs and artillery shelling by air, land and sea at densely-populated civilian areas – has also resulted in the destruction of more than 1,000 homes and damage to more than 18,000 other homes. Fear and panic have gripped the population, leading to displacement of more than 100,000 people, who are now sheltering in UNRWA schools, already double the number of Palestinians who sought refuge in the Agency’s schools in the Israeli war on Gaza of 2008-2009. Here, we urgently appeal for efforts to address the immense humanitarian needs of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including through donor support to UNRWA emergency appeals. [Read more…]
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