{"id":309120,"date":"2025-07-16T14:48:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=309120"},"modified":"2025-08-21T15:38:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T19:38:10","slug":"security-council-press-release-16jul25","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/security-council-press-release-16jul25\/","title":{"rendered":"Killing of Civilians in Gaza Waiting in Line for Humanitarian Aid Must End, Relief Chief Tells Security Council, Urging Return to UN-Led Delivery Mechanism"},"content":{"rendered":"

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16 July 2025<\/p>\n

9959th Meeting (PM)<\/p>\n

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As civilians lining up for humanitarian aid in Gaza are being killed, speakers in the Security Council today urged Israel to lift restrictions on aid operations in the Strip, called for a return to United Nations-led delivery mechanisms, and stressed the urgent need for both the release of hostages and a ceasefire.<\/p>\n

\u201cGaza\u2019s soaring humanitarian needs must be met without drawing people into a firing line,\u201d said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator<\/a>. \u00a0He recalled General Assembly resolution 46\/182, adopted in 1991, which laid the groundwork for modern international humanitarian assistance by establishing a framework and guiding principles \u2014 humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence \u2014 for the UN\u2019s role in coordinating humanitarian efforts during emergencies.<\/p>\n

Israel, as the occupying Power, is obligated to ensure that people have food and medical supplies, he said, adding: \u00a0\u201cBut that is not happening. \u00a0Instead, civilians are exposed to death and injury, forcible displacement, stripped of dignity.\u201d\u00a0 He went on to urge Council members to consider whether Israel\u2019s rules of engagement incorporate all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian harm, in all circumstances.\u00a0 This means verifying targets, giving effective advance warnings, carefully choosing tactics and weapons, and canceling or suspending an attack if it would cause disproportionate civilian harm, he said.<\/p>\n

Number of Aid Trucks Currently Allowed into Gaza \u2018Drop in the Ocean\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Between 19 May and 14 July, only 1,633 trucks \u2014 or 62\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the roughly 2,600 submitted to the Israeli authorities and 74\u00a0per\u00a0cent of those approved for entry \u2014 reached the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.\u00a0 \u201cTo be clear, this is a drop in the ocean of needs, compared to the average of 630 truckloads, that entered daily\u201d during an earlier ceasefire, he said.\u00a0The ceasefire proved what\u2019s possible. \u00a0It\u2019s time to return to those levels without delay.<\/p>\n

Turning to recent remarks by Israel\u2019s Defence Minister about moving Palestinians into a \u201chumanitarian city\u201d, he said the proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians to a designated zone near Rafah is \u201cnot humanitarian\u201d, underscoring the need to protect civilians wherever they are, release all hostages held by Hamas, allow humanitarian aid at scale and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers.\u00a0 \u201cYou owe that to Israeli and Palestinian civilians, to the last hopes of a sustainable peace, and to the UN Charter,\u201d he said, calling for a ceasefire.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s meeting was called by Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, following abhorrent reports of human suffering in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including killings at aid distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation \u2014 a non-UN mechanism established with support from Israel and the United States. \u00a0Between 27\u00a0May and 7\u00a0July, the\u00a0Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights\u00a0(OHCHR) recorded the killings of 798 Palestinian civilians \u2014 including children \u2014 desperate to find food, at or near distribution sites and humanitarian convoys.<\/p>\n

International Community Failing Gaza\u2019s Children<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cAmong the survivors was Donia, a mother seeking a lifeline for her family after months of desperation and hunger,\u201d said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF)<\/a>.\u00a0 Donia\u2019s 1-year-old son, Mohammed, was killed in the attack after speaking his first words just hours earlier.\u00a0 The mother was lying critically injured in a hospital bed, clutching her son\u2019s tiny shoe.\u00a0\u201cNo parent should experience such a horrific tragedy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe simple truth is that we are failing Gaza\u2019s children,\u201d she said, noting that child malnutrition in Gaza has surged 180\u00a0per\u00a0cent since February, with nearly 6,000 cases in June. \u00a0Most households lack safe water, fueling disease outbreaks \u2014 waterborne illnesses now make up 44\u00a0per\u00a0cent of medical consultations. \u00a0Hospitals are overwhelmed, short on medicine and fuel, and emergency care is collapsing. \u00a0At least 12,500 patients, including many children, need urgent medical evacuation, but few are being accepted abroad.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHistory will judge this failure harshly,\u201d she warned, adding:\u00a0 \u201cAnd the children will judge it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

She implored that UNICEF and its humanitarian partners be allowed to do their jobs. \u00a0\u201cWe have proven that essentials like medicine, vaccines, water, food, and nutrition for babies can reach those in need, wherever they are, when we have appropriate access,\u201d she said, calling for an urgent return to the functioning UN-led aid pipeline with safe and sustained humanitarian access through all available crossings.<\/p>\n

875 People Killed in Gaza while Seeking Food; Calls for Aid to Be Delivered at Scale<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The ensuing discussion centred on issues raised by the two UN officials. \u00a0Many delegates, alarmed that 875 people have been killed in Gaza while seeking food as of 13\u00a0July, expressed concern that 674 of them perished in the vicinity of the sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation while calling for an end to the conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fear the world is growing accustomed to the unbearable, to the unacceptable,\u201d said the observer for the State of Palestine. \u00a0\u201cIn Gaza, all paths lead to death,\u201d he deplored, urging: \u00a0\u201cOur role, our responsibility, our legal and moral duty is to open one that leads to salvation.\u201d\u00a0 Aid must be delivered at scale, to all and across all of Gaza, he said, stressing that \u201cthis is non-negotiable and shouldn\u2019t be a point of contention\u201d. \u00a0He expressed support for an immediate ceasefire and the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States to secure such a truce. \u00a0But that should not be a pretext to continue, until then, killing Palestinians or denying them aid. \u00a0In Gaza, every day, 77 children are killed or maimed, 61 children lose a parent, and 10 children lose one or both legs. \u00a0\u201cOur role is not to be the narrators of this genocide but to be part of the movement that brings it to an end,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Drawing a parallel between the current situation in Gaza and the Srebrenica genocide, Slovenia\u2019s representative recalled how, 30 years ago, \u201cwe heard statements claiming there were practically no civilian victims\u201d, that people were well-nourished, and that one side was merely acting in self-defence. \u00a0\u201cWe saw a UN entity treated as an enemy [\u2026] people being pushed into so-called safe zones, and then targeted indiscriminately\u201d, he said, adding: \u00a0\u201cThe day came \u2014 too late for too many. \u00a0[\u2026] The day will eventually come in Gaza. \u00a0Will it be too late again?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Council Silent on Suffering of Israeli Children, Hamas\u2019 War Crimes<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The representative of Israel emphasized that, while the suffering of Palestinian children \u201cdemands our attention\u201d, the Council has been silent on that of Israeli children.\u00a0 This is more than a technical omission \u2014 \u201cit is a moral failure\u201d, she stressed.\u00a0 Further, the Council seems unwilling to condemn Hamas for the evils perpetrated on 7\u00a0October\u00a02023 and, instead, \u201cwe are presented with a narrative that forces Israel into a defendant\u2019s chair\u201d while Hamas \u201cgoes unmentioned, unchallenged and immune to condemnation\u201d, she said.\u00a0 To address the situation in Gaza without mentioning Hamas\u2019 war crimes is propaganda, she stated \u2014 \u201cit does not support peace, but politicizes suffering\u201d. \u00a0For its part, Israel will keep supporting the entry of critical supplies into Gaza \u201cbecause we believe innocent civilians deserve relief \u2014 relief from the agony that Hamas has caused them\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cBut we will not allow that aid to become fuel for terror,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Her counterpart from the United States emphasized that \u201crefusal to work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is tantamount to dereliction of duty in the humanitarian space\u201d, and added:\u00a0 \u201cWe would have a ceasefire today if Hamas had agreed to the proposal on the table.\u201d\u00a0 While no one wants to see Palestinian civilians go hungry or thirsty, she stressed that aid must be delivered \u201cin a way that does not allow Hamas to benefit\u201d.\u00a0Further, she said that it is \u201cunconscionable\u201d that Council members have criticized the Foundation rather than condemning Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for their continued abuse of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.\u00a0 \u201cThe result is an ever-growing credibility gap for the UN,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Algeria\u2019s delegate, expressing regret that Council sessions and the statements delivered in the chamber neither dissuade the occupier nor stop its massacre, said: \u00a0\u201cWhat is even more surprising is that we are hearing some defending the killers and finding themselves justifications.\u00a0 For some, killing children is a mere collateral damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Mechanism Violates Humanitarian Principles<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The speaker for the Russian Federation supported UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres\u2019 decision not to participate in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation\u2019s aid distribution mechanism.\u00a0 Noting that more than 200 non-governmental organizations recently launched a joint appeal to stop the work of \u201cthis violent, militarized mechanism where Palestinians are faced with an impossible choice to decide whether they will die of hunger or die while they\u2019re queuing up for their food ration,\u201d he pointed out that Israel and the United States continue considering the mechanism effective and are bragging about the millions of meals distributed to civilians, not Hamas.<\/p>\n

Similarly, his counterpart from\u00a0China said that the militarized mechanism launched by the United States and Israel violates humanitarian principles, observing:\u00a0 \u201cNot only is this mechanism not sufficient to ease the humanitarian situation, but it has repeatedly caused heavy civilian casualties.\u201d\u00a0 Meanwhile, the UN and other humanitarian agencies have built \u201cfully-fledged systems with rich experience\u201d, and he urged all parties to \u201csupport the UN in delivering assistance in a manner that upholds humanitarian principles\u201d.<\/p>\n

Guyana\u2019s representative observed that the Foundation lacks capacity to achieve its stated objective.\u00a0Concurring, the representative of Pakistan, Council President for July, spoke in his national capacity to underscore that the current aid mechanism in Gaza is \u201cclearly failing those it claims to serve\u201d. \u00a0\u201cMost gravely, the system has morphed into a death trap,\u201d he said, stressing that the denial of lifesaving assistance has reached \u201cindefensible\u201d levels.<\/p>\n

Central Role of United Nations, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Both the representatives of the United Kingdom and Denmark highlighted the central role of the United Nations, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in humanitarian response, with the latter saying that \u201cthe UN \u2014 including UNRWA \u2014 alongside their humanitarian partners must be allowed to do their job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The representative of the European Union \u2014 in its capacity as observer \u2014 said that following its agreement with Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, \u201cwe can already see some improvements, including delivery of fuel, re-opening of the Jordanian and Egyptian routes, opening of a crossing point in North Gaza, and ongoing reparations of essential humanitarian infrastructure\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cBut a lot more is needed,\u201d he added.\u00a0 Welcoming the agreement, Greece\u2019s representative expressed hope that measures are implemented urgently to \u201csubstantially increase the daily trucks of food and non-food items and result in opening of more crossings in southern and northern Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n

Calls for Full, Transparent Investigation of Killings of Palestinians Queuing for Food\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The speaker for the Republic of Korea called for a full and transparent investigation of the killings of Palestinians waiting in line to get food. \u00a0Additionally, \u201cinternational journalists must be allowed to enter Gaza, witness what is happening, and report the details back to the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Panama\u2019s delegate, holding up the glass of water prepared for all Council members, observed:\u00a0 \u201cWe are taking the floor in this chamber with immediate, unfettered access to clean water \u2014 clean water that cools our throat after and while we issue statements which call for peace.\u201d\u00a0 Juxtaposed against that, he offered another image \u2014 one of \u201ca Palestinian mother under the blistering July heat, walking among the rubble with an empty drum, hoping that \u2014 at some distribution site \u2014 she will be able to fill up two measly bottles of water for her children\u201d. \u00a0In Gaza, he stressed, \u201cwater neither refreshes nor hydrates \u2014 its absence sows despair, and its absence is no accident; it is a slow sentence handed down by humans and the suffering they have induced\u201d.<\/p>\n

Clear Pattern of Israeli Aggression in Region<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sierra Leone\u2019s delegate said that \u201cinternational humanitarian law is unambiguous\u201d in prohibiting collective punishment and placing obligations on occupying Powers to ensure the provision of food, medical care, and essential services.\u00a0 However, Hakan Fidan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of T\u00fcrkiye, spotlighted the \u201cclear pattern\u201d of Israeli aggression in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. \u201cIf left unchecked, this pattern risks wider destabilization,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n

Somalia\u2019s delegate said that \u201cas long as the root causes \u2014 occupation, blockade, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination \u2014 persist, peace will remain out of reach\u201d.\u00a0 On that, France\u2019s representative announced that his country and Saudi Arabia will co-chair an international conference on implementing a two-State solution on 29-30 July. \u00a0This solution, he added, is not a \u201cutopia\u201d or a \u201cpipe dream\u201d \u2014 it is \u201ca pathway towards the future\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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More documents related to this meeting:\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n