Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at the UNSC briefing on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip
We would like to thank Ms. Antonia De Meo, Deputy Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and Mr. Muhannad Hadi, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT) and Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, for their comprehensive briefings and objective assessments of the situation on the ground.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to be dire. After 300 days, there is virtually nothing left of one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The number of civilian casualties is staggering - almost 40,000 killed and more than 90,000 wounded, two thirds of them are women and children. More than 50,000 bombs were dropped on the enclave. The housing stock has been destroyed, as well as civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools.
The people in the enclave have virtually no food, water or healthcare, let alone basic hygiene facilities. Wastewater is flooding the streets, there is rubble everywhere and unexploded ordnance. Those who survived bombing and shelling have to constantly move around Gaza in search of shelter and safety. Some Palestinians, including those who have children, have already changed their place of refuge for the tenth time. But once again, they end up under Israeli shelling, as there are no safe places left in Gaza. Eyewitnesses, UN staff and humanitarian personnel – one and all – confirm this. Many of them confess that never in their lifetime have they seen such horror, such suffering faced by the entire people. But so far, unfortunately, there is no hope that this suffering will end in the foreseeable future. Worse yet, an American journalist who spent a month in Gaza even saw snipers targeting children. That is what we get from the rhetoric that every Palestinian over the age of three is a terrorist, which we heard from some Israeli ministers at the beginning of the conflict.
Nor are we optimistic about the recent updates on Khan Younis, specifically on the number of killed or wounded there, and about yet another evacuation of hundreds of thousands of civilians. The risk of the confrontation expanding beyond Gaza to neighboring Lebanon and Syria remains grave. Other groups are also getting involved in the confrontation with Israel, in particular the Houthis, who delivered a strike on Tel Aviv on July 19.
What is also alarming is the lack of an adequate humanitarian response. Of course, one could hardly expect anything different in the absence of a ceasefire. As a result, all the Council's “humanitarian” resolutions remain “on paper”. The UN special mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid, established under UNSC Resolution 2720, is obviously yielding no meaningful results. The attempt to establish a corridor between Cyprus and Gaza’s floating pier has failed. The pier, designed for river conditions, was literally washed out into the sea. The Rafah border crossing, through which significant volumes of humanitarian supplies used to be delivered, is closed. The roads that are supposed to be used for the transportation of the supplies have been destroyed. As far as we can tell, the Israeli authorities continue to impede aid supplies. Funding is insufficient. And people trapped in the enclave can only hope for external assistance, since there is no manufacturing in the Gaza Strip any more, nor is there any agriculture.
“Deconfliction” and the notorious notifications in the course of active hostilities are clearly not working either. Hence, we have such tragically high figures - 278 humanitarians were killed, 197 of them used to be UNRWA staff. On July 21, yet another humanitarian convoy heading to Gaza was shelled. And these are only humanitarians. Journalists also fall frequently victims (more than 160 killed), as well as and medical workers (500 killed).
It is high time to “sound the alarm bells”, and do it regularly. That is why it is difficult for us to understand why our Western colleagues on the Security Council are sidestepping what is happening in Gaza and prefer to convene meetings on other, much less pressing issues. This certainly does them no credit.
What is also proved to be a failure is the attempts to achieve a settlement by paying insufficient attention to or even neglecting the interests of one of the parties to conflict. Thus, the notorious “Biden Plan” remains “on paper”, and, as we warned during the voting on resolution 2735, it has become a kind of “spoiler” allowing Israel and the United States to contain any attempts by Security Council members to raise the issue of a new UNSC resolution containing a demand for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
We are also extremely concerned about the ongoing disinformation campaign against UNRWA. As far as we understand, the most disreputable Israeli allegations against the Agency's staff have not been confirmed, while the findings of the Panel of Experts led by Ms. Colonna have confirmed that UNRWA acts in compliance with the principle of neutrality and plays a key role in providing assistance to the Palestinians. The members of the Security Council should not play along with the attempts to discredit the Agency, and we call on everyone to stand up in its defense. There is no alternative to UNRWA, and this principle should be the main pillar of the Council's efforts. Knesset draft resolution aimed at banning UNRWA's activities in East Jerusalem and designating the Agency as a terrorist organization can only be interpreted as a slap delivered to the entire United Nations.
We call on the Israeli authorities to uphold the norms of international humanitarian law and to bear full responsibility for the people under occupation. First and foremost, I refer to obligations to ensure food supply, health care, and public law and order. What also should be done is the halt to the construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, which is a flagrant violation of international law. Due to the intensification of such actions by the Israeli authorities, the situation in the West Bank is now nearing an explosion point.
At the same time, we have repeatedly reaffirmed that we are against violence and terrorism in all its manifestations, we oppose attacks against civilians in any place, in any country. This also applies to the attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, which we immediately and unequivocally condemned. There can be no justification for such actions, but what is happening in Gaza now can only be called a collective punishment and an attempt to totally annihilate the civilian population.
Israel does have the right to ensure security, but this goal can undoubtedly be attained only through a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East, and, first and foremost, through rectifying historical injustice against Palestine and establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with the decisions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly. Any other dubious mechanisms to reconcile Israel with its neighbors without a fair resolution of the Palestinian issue will not bring us to this goal and can only trigger outbreaks of violence similar to what the region is living through now.
Distinguished Colleagues,
What we need to do now is pull our efforts in support of a just Palestinian-Israeli settlement on the basis of international legal framework approved by the UN Security Council. Achieving this goal will finally improve the situation in the region. There should be neither monopolization of mediation efforts, which we have recently seen in the actions of the United States, nor competition between the main actors. Every aspect is important, every effort and initiative matters. In this context, we welcome the understanding reached recently between Fatah and Hamas at a meeting in the Chinese capital, which culminated a series of preparatory meetings, including one in Moscow. Palestinian unity is the most important guarantee that the interests of the Palestinian people will not be ignored once again.
We hope that this success will have a positive impact on the ongoing negotiations on the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, which should finally lead to a ceasefire that the people of Gaza need so much.
Thank you for your attention.
Right of reply
Distinguished colleagues,
The US representative seems to really enjoy his anti-Russian invectives, which he probably finds revelatory. This time, he even invoked China as an “ally”, although in different conditions he has relentlessly ostracized this country for whatever he deems deserving. Nevertheless, we are very grateful to the US representative for a clear demonstration of what a statement by a state claiming to be a responsible international actor, or rather a self-proclaimed “instructor” of all international actors, should not look like.
If the USA spent on humanitarian aid for Gaza (and other regions in need) even a small share of what it spends on arms supply to hotspots, the world would be a different place. There have been allocated billions of dollars to provide Israel with munition, including $6.5 billion allocated after October 7, 2023. Another tens of billions of dollars go to Ukraine. The weapons provided by the USA kill thousands of Palestinians and Ukrainians. That’s Washington’s real contribution.
And when it comes to Gaza, the first thing that immediately springs to mind is the pathetic project of the enclave's maritime pier, a masterpiece of pontoon architecture that was simply washed away into the sea. As far as we know, some $300 million was spent on it. Approximately the same amount was allocated by the USA to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza in 2024. We also recall the airdropped containers with aid that killed dozens of Palestinians on the ground. And all this was done instead of forcing Israel to abide by a ceasefire.
Russia is extending humanitarian aid to Palestine through bilateral channels, NGOs as well as through the World Food Program. The Palestinians are well aware of this.
All in all, colleagues, let me give you a piece of friendly advice. Before lecturing others, at least pay your contribution to the UN and stop causing a liquidity crisis, which also hinders the humanitarian efforts of our Organization.
Thank you.
