Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on the Situation in the Gaza Strip

Madam President,

We are grateful to Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia and Switzerland for their initiative to convene today’s UN Security Council meeting in connection with the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. We thank Ms. Brands Kehris, Rein Paulsen and Joyce Msuya for their overviews of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our very eyes, and for their assessments of the situation regarding the food security in the enclave, especially in the north.

The IPC Famine Review Committee’s report published the other day notes that the Gaza Strip’s food system is not simply failing – it has collapsed.

The entire enclave’s population – over two million people – is, in fact, in a state of extreme food insecurity, namely it is in IPC phase 4, which is followed by genuine famine and starvation. We are particularly alarmed by the predictions that widespread famine is imminent in northern Gaza and is expected in the upcoming months; unfortunately, such assessments can be hardly deemed groundless.

Under these circumstances, the Israel Defense Forces continue their ruthless military operation, inflicting further suffering on civilians.

Palestinians who have managed to survive regular shelling and artillery attacks are forced to constantly move around the enclave in search of food and shelter. Those who fail to leave the area where the IDF ordered another evacuation, get trapped. In effect, the remaining civilians in Gaza are clearly given a choice whether to die from starvation or from shelling and bombing. Representatives of the UN humanitarian branch, including the leadership of the WHO and UNRWA, have been blunt about this.

At the same time, everything that is happening in Gaza is part of the deliberate efforts of the Israeli authorities to create a so-called security buffer zone. Such actions by Israel actions can also be seen in southern Lebanon, where, as a result of scorched earth tactics, the civilian population is being deprived of all means of subsistence, and the affected areas, including agricultural areas, are being rendered unfit for anything.

Madam President,

While refusing to cease its punitive operation against Palestinian women and children in Gaza, Israel continues – despite numerous appeals from the international community – to hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid.

There is no point in counting the number of operational border crossings, because even if some of them are formally operational, their throughput capacity is extremely low. The data thus far clearly illustrate this – the amount of humanitarian supplies brought into the enclave is at its lowest since the beginning of the military operation – the daily average is only 58 trucks, which is negligibly small given the current needs. And this dire humanitarian situation has taken shape almost a year after the adoption of Security Council resolution 2720, which was designed to establish and facilitate the supply of aid to Gaza. The special mechanism of the UN Senior Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, remained a “dead letter”. Those members of the Security Council who from time to time talk about “some positive results” of Ms. Kaag’s work need to acknowledge that her efforts, however active and noble they may be, have not borne fruit. And this is an obvious fact that is difficult to dispute.

In this context, the Israeli authorities take decision to outlaw UNRWA and its staff. At a time when there is simply no alternative to the Agency, such actions cannot be seen anything but inhumane. Furthermore, it is clear that Israel, as the occupying Power, is not fulfilling its obligations under international humanitarian law nor ensuring protection of the civilian population in the territories under its control as well as provision of humanitarian assistance, including food. Now Gazans are also being deprived of their only international lifeline, for which there is simply no substitute.

UNRWA’s work is not just about distributing humanitarian rations among people in need. For decades, the Agency had also carried out extremely important work in such areas as education and health care, social protection and infrastructure development. Disrupting the operation of the Agency would have the most serious social and economic consequences for the entire region. We condemn the Knesset’s decisions and urge to reconsider them immediately.

Madam President,

We have noted that the aforementioned IPC Famine Review Committee provided some conclusions and recommendations on the need for unimpeded humanitarian access, lifting the blockade of the northern regions, and ending attacks on civilian infrastructure; and the recommendations were addressed not only to the parties to the conflict. The report contains a call on all actors “having influence” on the conflict.

Colleagues,

I think everyone understands perfectly well which state we are referring to first and foremost. It is just a shame though that the experts who prepared such publications, as well as UN representatives in general, do not say directly that it is the USA that has every opportunity to contribute to ending the bloodshed. To do that, at the very least, American representatives should stop blocking Security Council decisions on ending the hostilities and, together with other UNSC members, unequivocally demand that the Israeli authorities set up full-fledged and unimpeded humanitarian access to the victims and those in need.

It’s been a little more than a year since the tragic events of October 7, and Washington, which indulges Israel in everything, should share with Jerusalem the blame for the deaths of more than 43,000 Palestinians, including those who were killed by regularly supplied American weapons, and those who died of starvation and infectious diseases.

Madam President,

Distinguished colleagues,

Under the current circumstances, the Security Council is dutybound to come out as soon as possible from the paralysis, in which – thanks to the US efforts – it has spent the past months hearing the relentless mantras of an imminent deal between Israel and Hamas. If West Jerusalem were ready to strike a deal, it would have done that long ago, rather than advancing more and more conditions, and Israeli officials at all levels would not be talking now about their intentions to put an end to Hamas once and for all.

We would like to make it clear: our American colleagues have deliberately led us all by the nose, buying time for Israel to carry out its plans to exterminate as many Palestinians as possible in Gaza and turn that territory into a place that is absolutely unfit for human life.

The time is ripe to act. That is why Russia expresses its full support for the draft resolution on Gaza introduced by “the ten” non-permanent members of the Security Council, which contains a direct demand for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages. We also call for this draft to be put to a vote without further delay. The adoption of that document would be a belated but proper step towards ending the slaughter, breaking the current stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and paving the way for relaunching the peace process on a universally recognized international legal basis, including the two-State solution. There is no other way to bring about a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East.

Thank you.

Video of the statement