![]() ![]() “How can we deliver lifesaving aid in an environment where the distinction between civilians and combatants is disregarded?” he asked, adding that his teams are beyond exhausted. In the face of the killings and maiming of aid workers, “the humanitarian response in Gaza today is an illusion,” he said, adding that efforts to provide aid are “haphazard, opportunistic and entirely inadequate”. “The laws and the principles we collectively depend on to enable humanitarian assistance are now eroded to the point of becoming meaningless,” he said. “This pattern of attacks is either intentional or indicative of reckless incompetence,” he said, adding that his colleagues in Gaza are fearful that as he speaks to the Council today, they will be punished tomorrow. Not 48 hours ago, Israeli shelling and gunfire killed and injured MSF staff and their families in Khan Younis, despite notification to the warring parties of the location, which was marked with an MSF flag, he said, recalling that some were trapped in the burning building, which active shooting delayed ambulances from reaching in what has become an “all too familiar” pattern of Israeli forces raiding hospitals, bulldozing MSF vehicles and attacking its convoys. “Attacks on healthcare are attacks on humanity,” he said, noting that while Israel claims Hamas is operating in hospitals, “ we have seen zero independently verified evidence of this.” Ĭhristopher Lockyear, Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. “These efforts must coalesce and accelerate if we are to emerge from this nightmare into a trajectory that can provide Palestinians and Israelis with the chance of lasting peace,” he concluded. Wennesland called for a time-bound political framework to end the occupation and negotiate a two-State solution. In addition, international support to strengthen and reform the Palestinian Authority to improve domestic and international legitimacy will be crucial. “While taking into account Israel’s legitimate security concern, there must be a clear path towards restoring single, effective Palestinian governance across the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territory), including in Gaza,” he added. “Ultimately, the only long-term solution for Gaza is political,” said Mr. ![]() “To do this, we urgently need a deal to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire and the release of hostages,” he stressed, adding also the need to create the space for dialogue. Wennesland appealed for a collective, coordinated and comprehensive response to not only address the immediate crisis in the Strip, but to help restore a political horizon for Palestinians and Israelis alike. Warning that the scale of the emergency could quickly spiral out of control, Mr. “ Keeping Gaza on a drip-feed not only deprives a desperate population of lifesaving support, it drives even greater chaos that further impedes humanitarian delivery,” he added. “This must be improved – UN convoys and compounds must not be hit, and our equipment needs clearance,” he stressed. He added that the UN Humanitarian Coordinator has a plan to deliver the essentials – food, shelter, medicine and water/sanitation – but the UN’s capacity to deliver depends on coordinated humanitarian movements, effective deconfliction with the parties and Israeli approvals for essential communications equipment and armored vehicles – “all of which provide the minimum conditions for staff to work safely”. Internally displaced Palestinians are facing acute shortages of food, water, shelter and medicine, while communicable diseases are rising sharply amid unsanitary conditions, and there is a “near total breakdown” in law and order. ![]() Wennesland visited Gaza this week and described the humanitarian situation there as shocking, unsustainable and desperate. ![]() No end to the suffering and desperation the people in Gaza. “No end to the trauma of those impacted by the horrors unleashed on 7 October. Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told ambassadors that “there is still no end in sight” as the war approaches its 140-day mark. ![]()
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