Statement by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy at a UNSC Briefing on the Situation in the OPT
Mr. President,
We note the statement by Mr. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We thank Mr. Younes Al-Khatib, President of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, for his thorough briefing on the situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone. We are also grateful to Mr. Al-Khatib for his additional briefings and meetings with delegations during his stay in New York. This allowed us to get the latest information about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
It was without hesitation that we supported the request by Algeria for today’s Council meeting, since the situation in the OPT, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank remains unacceptably critical. Following the breakdown of agreements between Hamas and Israel, Palestinian civilians have been living in conditions of full ground air and maritime blockade for over a month now. Not only has West Jerusalem blocked the delivery of humanitarian supplies but also imposed restrictions on the work of UN humanitarian organizations, which entailed existential problems for two million people. Here is a simple example – all bakeries in the enclave have closed due to a shortage of flour and fuel. We are puzzled – How the lack of bread in Gaza can help Israel to free the hostages who are not receiving bread either?
Alongside the humanitarian catastrophe, we see civilian infrastructure being destroyed and humanitarian workers dying. Since October 2023, at least 408 humanitarians have been killed in Gaza, which makes this conflict the most lethal on record by that measure.
We can hardly hope that the situation will change for the better, since Israeli strikes against Gaza continue almost unabated. On April 2, at 10 a.m., the Israeli Air Force hit the UNRWA medical center in Jabaliya. Although the facility was no longer being used for medical purposes, it served as a shelter for more than 700 people. This new inhumane Israeli attack reportedly killed dozens of civilians, including a baby who was barely two weeks old. Despite the warnings from UNRWA about the risks of staying in the building after the attack, many displaced families remained there because they simply had nowhere else to go.
Today alone, indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes across the Strip have killed at least one hundred people. Bombs have been dropped on residential buildings, a school that was used as a shelter and tent camps. Eyewitnesses report that in Gaza City, where 58 people were killed, local residents – in the absence of any rescue equipment – had to dig through the rubble with their bare hands in the hope of finding any miraculous survivors. We express our sincere condolences to the families of those who have been killed and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. We emphasize that the so-called security zones established by the Israelis themselves are also being hit. Such blatant disregard for the norms of international humanitarian law deserves our strongest condemnation. In total, since the beginning of the war, more than 300 United Nations facilities have been attacked, some of them repeatedly so.
Mr. President,
We were shocked by the news of the discovery on March 31 of a mass grave with bodies of 15 aid workers, including a UN staff member and eight medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society. OCHA officials have already placed the responsibility for the crime on Israel. According to the UN, after the first group of medics and aid workers went missing on March 23, the Israelis methodically eliminated anyone who tried to come to rescue their comrades. By the way, the ambulances were clearly marked, as were the doctors' uniforms. There can be no justification for such actions. While discussing this specific subject, we call upon all parties to make every effort to find one member of the Palestine Red Crescent team that is still listed missing – Assad Al-Nassasra – his body has not been found among the dead.
The protection of humanitarian personnel, which the Council discussed in detail at this very Chamber as early as yesterday, is an absolute imperative and obligation under international humanitarian law.
Mr. President,
Upon the completion of phase 1 of the agreement with Hamas, Israel put forward new demands regarding the further implementation of the deal, then resumed its military operation and is gradually expanding its control over the Gaza Strip. On April 1, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the creation of a second “Philadelphi Corridor” – the Morag axis, which will cut off Rafah from Khan Younis. In the same vein, we should consider the statements by Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz about the expansion of the area of operation in the enclave and the creation of additional “security zones”. Thus, the territory wherein the Gazans have to huddle is steadily shrinking. People are compelled to choose whether to leave their homes in Gaza or remain there without water, electricity and sufficient food hoping that the Israeli operation will cease one day and they will not fall victim to another airstrike. Of course, under such conditions, there can be no discussion of either “voluntary emigration” or evacuation. We reaffirm our position of principle that territorial or demographic changes are unacceptable in Gaza, which is (and has always been) an integral part of the Palestinian State.
In the context of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, specifically under the total blockade introduced since March 2, we are seriously troubled by the signals coming from various sources about Israel's plans to establish full control over the delivery and distribution of aid in the enclave. We hope that West Jerusalem will not go ahead with these measures, as they would run counter to the reports by Sigrid Kaag, UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, on the operation of the one-stop shop mechanism agreed with Israel, which we all supported. We also reaffirm our strong support for UNRWA, which plays an indispensable role in assisting the Palestinians. The Agency’s expertise, its extensive system of humanitarian assistance and the infrastructure built up over decades are vital in the current critical situation in the enclave. We call on the Israeli authorities to reconsider their discriminatory and prohibitive decisions regarding UNRWA and to return to compliance with the relevant international legal obligations.
Mr. President,
The situation in the West Bank is also alarming. Israel's Operation “Iron Wall” is expanding. In Jenin alone, 34 people were killed, dozens were injured, 21,000 people became internally displaced, and over 600 homes were destroyed. Since October 7, 2023, some 16,000 people have been detained in the West Bank. Provocations by settlers are ongoing. For example, 50 extremist settlers carried out a pogrom in the Palestinian village of Douma. Unfortunately, the Israeli authorities not only fail to punish the offenders but also often egg them on.
Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank is proceeding at a relentless pace, with 47% of land having already been taken away from the Palestinians. Over the first three months of 2025, there has been approved the construction of 10,503 housing units, which is higher than the similar figure for the whole of 2024. By some estimates, if the settlement activity continues at such a pace, any prospects for the “two-state solution” will be entirely wiped out within just two years. Even today, the West Bank is essentially divided into two parts due to Israel's infrastructure projects in Jerusalem; and hundreds of checkpoints throughout the West Bank are severely restricting daily activities of Palestinians.
Such actions are fully in line with the tactics that Israel has pursued over the past decades in the West Bank to preclude the territorial contiguity of the OPT. The key steps here are as follows: constructing settlement blocs and related infrastructure, erecting a dividing wall, creating a system of roadblocks and checkpoints, demolishing Palestinian buildings, confiscating land, and conducting regular security raids, which are now spilling over into full-fledged operations in Jenin, Tulkarm and other towns. We are also extremely concerned by further regionalization of the conflict, by resumed arbitrary Israeli strikes on Beirut, ongoing air strikes on Syria, US strikes on Yemen, as well as by preparations of public opinion for a full-scale operation against Iran.
As a result, today the entire Middle East region has come closer to a large-scale armed conflict, which may result in catastrophic consequences. We urge everyone to step back from this dangerous brink.
Mr. President,
The logic of war rules out any possibility of Israeli hostages returning home. In this war paradigm, there is scope only for new senseless deaths and destruction, for mass graves of doctors and thousands of murdered children. This logic precludes any prospects for the reconstruction of Gaza, which were realistically outlined in the plan proposed by the Arab States. In the West Bank, people have to survive in artificially created utterly inhumane conditions, which provides a breeding ground for radicalization and cultivates hatred towards Israel and its people. What is the point for West Jerusalem of getting rid of Hamas if its place is likely to be immediately taken by other people under a different name? – for them, fighting Israel will appear to be the only way to restore justice. In fact, the decades-long inability to find a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is precisely what engendered the current tragic situation.
We are convinced of the need to establish an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, to release all forcibly detained persons and provide safe and unhindered humanitarian access. At the same time, it is important that the agreements reached be sustainable. As practice shows, without guarantees and oversight on the part of the international community, any truce can collapse in no time. In this regard, it is the UN Security Council that must play a key role in the negotiation process and in ensuring the compliance with its outcomes by all parties. We call on international mediators to prioritize the return to a peaceful settlement. In this context, we would like to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. It must coexist with Israel in peace and security, in accordance with the internationally recognized legal decisions.
Colleagues,
Under the current circumstances, it may be extremely dangerous to have continued vacancies for the key UN posts in the region, namely Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Senior Coordinator for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians. We call on the UN Secretary-General to present the Security Council with the candidates to that effect as soon as possible.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that when it comes to possible practical steps by the Council and the adoption of its “products” related to worsening crisis in Gaza, we are guided by the position of the group of Arab States. We are also stand ready to work with all those who seek to achieve a just, lasting and sustainable peace in the Middle East on the basis of the well-known decisions of the UN Security Council with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian settlement process.
Thank you.
