Thank you President and thank you to USG Fletcher for his sobering briefing.
I also want to thank Algeria and Somalia for calling this meeting – an initiative which the UK fully supports considering the alarming humanitarian situation.
President, this meeting comes at a critical moment.
As my Foreign Secretary has said, the civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight are appalling.
I want to be clear, a return to fighting will only result in the deaths of further Palestinian civilians, Israeli hostages and IDF soldiers.
This conflict cannot be resolved through military means.
We want to see the ceasefire re-established as soon as possible.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza was already catastrophic.
After 17 days, Israel continues to block all aid entering Gaza. Crossing points have been shut off. Bakeries are closing. Hospitals and desalination plants are running on generators that could stop at any moment.
This is horrifying and unacceptable.
Humanitarian aid should never be used as a political tool.
We are calling for the following urgent steps to bring this terrifying situation back from the brink.
First, we call for the protection of civilians, and for safe, rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access.
We call on Israel to fulfil its international obligations and allow for a rapid and unhindered resurgence in the flow of aid.
This includes the supply of items such as medical equipment, shelter items, and water and sanitation equipment, essential to meet humanitarian and early recovery needs in Gaza, but which remain restricted.
Failure to deliver this not only risks undoing the vital humanitarian progress made during phase one of the ceasefire agreement; it also risks violating international humanitarian law.
Second, we urge all parties to return urgently to dialogue and to implement the ceasefire agreement in full, including scaling up aid and releasing the 59 hostages who have been cruelly held by Hamas for over 500 days and have endured unimaginable suffering.
For Israel to be secure, these terrorists can have no role in Gaza’s future. But cutting off aid and resuming the fighting is not a means to this end.
Finally, we reiterate that civilians of Gaza who have suffered so much must be allowed to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
Colleagues, we urge all parties to return to the ceasefire deal and get back to the path of peace.
A negotiated two-state solution is the best way to ensure long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
