Gaza: Movement Restrictions Endanger Humanitarian Work | United Nations Security Council Briefing

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Published Jun 22, 2024

Briefing by Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

Addressing the Security Council today (26 Mar) on the Palestinian question, Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said, “The devastating conflict in Gaza has continued, alongside daily violence in the occupied West Bank.”

He also said, “In Gaza, the humanitarian impact of the hostilities has been cataclysmic and is worsening daily. Nearly 1.7 million people have been displaced, with almost 1 million sheltering in Rafah. More than one million people in Gaza are projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity by the end of May, and famine in the northern part of Gaza is imminent according to the latest IPC analysis. Indeed, starvation-related fatalities have already been reported.”

He continued, “Near daily Israeli denials and delays of coordinated movement including detentions of humanitarian workers and ineffective deconfliction mechanisms and the lack of approval for adequate communications equipment and armoured vehicles make humanitarian work extremely dangerous. Aid convoys continue to face attacks, damaged roads, and unruly mobs, amid a security vacuum. Some progress was made on a maritime corridor from Cyprus, with a first shipment arriving on 15 March, alongside the opening of an access point in the north of Gaza.”

He stressed, “International humanitarian law cannot be applied selectively. It applies to all parties to a conflict at all times and the obligation to comply with it does not depend on reciprocity. I mourn the UN staff killed in Gaza. Their courage and dedication will not be forgotten. The inviolability of United Nations premises must be respected at all times.”

He said, “I remain deeply troubled by the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The ever-expanding settlement footprint, including outposts, further entrenches the occupation, while severely impeding the exercise by the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination. I reiterate that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law.”

Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe